Venpongal

Venpongal !!
A popular breakfast dish of Tamilnadu. I am addicted to the taste of this pongal which was given as prasadams in many Perumal Temples during the month of Margazhi. Its divine to have his Hot, with an apt accompaniment, say, Ghotsu or Gojju. I tried many combination and finally got a successful outcome which tastes just like 'kovil pongal'. Hence I share with you all....

Ingredients:

Raw ponni rice- 1cup
Moong dal or Payatham paruppu- 1 fist full
Hing- a pinch
Peppercorns- 1 spoon
Jeera or Cumin- 2 tbsp
Salt
Ghee
Cashews
Curry leaves

How to make:
1) Wash rice and dal together.
2) Crush little bit of pepper and cumins coarsely.
3) Add 3 cups of water to 1 cup of rice and dal together.
4) In that, add ground powder, hing salt
5) Pressure cook for an extra time than cooking the rice.
6) After its done, mash well.
7) Heat ghee in a pan, fry cahews till golden brown and add the remaining pepper, cumin seeds.
8) Add curry leaves and mix well.

Tasty, Hot, lip smacking Pongal is ready for breakfast !!

Aloo Paratha

Ingredients:
To make paratha:
2cups wheat flour

To make stuffing:
4medium sized potatoes
2green chillies(chopped finely)
1spn cumin seeds
1tspn red chilli powder
1tspn cumin powder
1/2 lemon
2tbspn oil
A pinch of turmeric
Salt for taste

To make stuffing:
1) Boil the potatoes and mash it well.
2) Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped greenschillies, cumin seeds.
3) When its done add the potatoes and to it add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt and mix them well.
4) After removing from flame, add lemon juice and mix well.

To make parathas:
1) Knead the wheat flour with required quantity of water and salt and keep aside for 1/2hr.
2) After the dough become soft, make equal proportions of dough, roll and spread to the size of our palm.
3) Introduce the stuffing to the spread dough and close it all sides.
4) Again spread evenly the stuffed dough.
5) Heat the tawa and toast the parathas using li'll oil.

Idly

Idly, a wonderful South Indian breakfast menu. I was not successful in getting soft, fluffy idlis when grinding in mixer, though implementing various proportions everytime. Then finally succeeded in getting soft idlis using the ratio 3:3/4

Ingrdients:
3 cups idly rice.
3/4 cups of urad dal.
2 tbsp venthayam.

How to make:
1)Soak idly rice for 4 hrs and urad dal for 2 hours with venthayam.
2)Grind venthayam and urad dal together softly and then grind rice separately.
3)Mix both batter together and add salt and mix well with clean hands (this helps in fermentation of the batter, which results in spongy idlis).
4)Leave the batter outside at room temp.
5)'Idly thattu' is used to steam idlis.

Poori kizhangu

For making poori:

Knead wheat flour, a pinch of salt, water (as required) together and keep it aside for some time to become soften. Then, roll over to make about 5-7 diameter and deep fry in oil.

For making sidedish:

Ingredients:

4-5 medium sized potatoes (boiled and peeled)

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 sprigs curry leaves

2 tsp urad dal

1 tsp chana dal

4 green chillies, slit or finely chopped

1" knob of fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp salt

Fresh coriander, chopped

How to make:

1) Dice half the potatoes and roughly mash the other half. Keep aside.

2) Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed wok.

3) Splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves.

4) Put in the lentils (urad and chana dal) and fry till golden, then add slivered ginger and green chillies - saute for 30 seconds.

5) Next, put in the sliced onions, a pinch of salt and saute the onions of medium flame till they are soft.

6) Add the mashed and diced potatoes.

7) 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and blend well with spices for about a minute.

8) Pour 1 1/2 cups water and leave it to cook.

9) Add salt to taste.

10) Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Aval Upma (Poha)

Ingredients:

Poha (Aval) - 750 gms
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Chana dal - 2 tsp
Onion - 1
Frozen peas- hand full
Jeera - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Lemon juice - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp

How to Make:
1) Soak the poha for about 3 minutes and wash it well in cold water and strain it .
2) And let it dry in the strainer for about 15 minutes.Heat some oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, jeera, urad, channa dal, and green chillies.
3)Then add the onions and fry them till they become golden brown.
4)Then add the poha and add little oil, and add the turmeric powder, and salt.
5)Add the curry leaves, and mix them well.
6)Finally add the lemon juice and coriander leaves.
7)Serve them hot with chutnies.

Generally more oil is needed for Poha upma

Hot chapathis with Baby potato curry

Baby potatoes are easy to cook and can be used as a whole in any menu. Its used either fried, boiled or grilled in any recipes. I tried a curry, an accompaniment for chapathis which is very simple and easy to make and it took 15mins to complete the procedure.

Here i go with the recipe;

Ingredients:

Baby Potatoes -1/2kg

Tomato - 1 (big size)

Garlic - 2 pods

Ginger - 2 inches sized

Cashews - 25gms

Bayleaf - a small piece

Redchilli Powder - 1 table spoon

Garam masala - 1 tablespoon

Oil - 3 tablespoons

Pls note that i did not use onions as i had no stock.

How to make:

1) Pressure cook the potatoes and peel off the skin.

2) Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the potatoes. (Remove excess oil using paper towel)

3) Grind tomatoes, ginger, garlic and cashews to a thick paste.

4) Retain 1 tablespoon oil in the same pan and saute the bay leaf.

5) Add the ground paste to oil and saute it well till raw smell is gone.

6) After getting a gravy consistency, add the fried potatoes.

7) Add garam masala, chilli powder and salt to it and leave it to cook for 5mins.

8) After it become a semisolid consistency, remove it from flame and serve.

Serving Suggestion: goes with rotis, chapathis and rice.