37 JANTIKALU/MURUKKU

Preparation Time : 20 - 30 mins
Cooking Time : 20 - 30 mins
Makes : app 250 gms of Murukku

Utensils needed:
Muruku /Chakli Press.
Kadai


Jantikalu/murukku was the dish chosen for the month of September 2009 at Indian Cooking Challenge by Srivalli

Ingredients Needed:

Raw Rice - 4 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Water - app 1/2 cup or more

For Seasoning

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tsp
Asafetida/ Hing - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 75 gms( 1/4 th cup)

Method to prepare:

Wash and drain the rice. Shade dry the Rice for 1/2 hr. Dry roast the Urad dal to light brown. Allow it to cool.
If you are using more quantity, you can get it ground in rice mil, else use your mixie to grind both Rice and Urad dal.

First grind rice into a fine flour, keep it aside. then grind the urad dal to fine powder.
( I used rice flour and just fried urad dhal and powdered, but added little extra butter to make it soft)


In a wide vessel, take both the flours along with salt. Mix well. Add cumin, Sesame seeds to the flour, mix well.

Whether you use Asafetida powder or the solid ones, you got to mix it in water, make sure it is dissolved before adding to the flour. If its not dissolved properly, when deep frying the muruku, there are chances for the hing to burst our due to air bubbles.

Mix in the hing to the flour and finally add the butter. Gather everything well and you will get more of a crumbling mixture. Now slowly add water and knead a dough which is little more softer than the puri dough.

Heat a kadai with oil enough to deep fry. Once the oil is hot enough, simmer to low flame.

Take the Muruku Aachu, wash and wipe it clean. Then divide the dough into equal balls. Fill the Muruku maker with the dough. You can either press it directly over the flames or press over a paper and gently slide it down the hot oil. But since the quantity mentioned here is less, you can press it directly over the kadai.

Cook over medium flame, using a slotted spoon, turn it over to other side to ensure both sides turn golden colour. You will know by seeing the colour that its cooked. Remove to a kitchen paper and store it in a air tight container.

This goes to Srivalli's Indian Cooking Challenge



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13 ENTRIES REPOSTED FOR 3 EVENTS

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8 AWARD TIME

Lissie of Salt and Spice and Babli of Khana Masala have passed these lovely awards to me. Thanks so much Lissie and Babli- I really feel honoured in receiving them.


Also received some more from Babli of Khana Masala. Thanks so much Babli.


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38 MACARONI PAKODA

Macaroni pakoda/pakora


Macaroni - 3/4 cup
Gram flour/Besan/kadala maavu/kadale hittu - 1 1/2 cups
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Salt as needed
Onion - 1 small chopped fine
Green chillies - 3 chopped fine
Curry leaves - few chopped fine
Oil for deep frying


Try using small elbow kind of macaroni for this pakoda.

Cook macaroni as per the instructions on the pack with salt until they are soft and tender. Drain and run in water to cool to avoid sticking.

In a mixing bowl add besan/gram flour, rice flour, salt, chopped onions, chopped green chillies and curry leaves. Mix well and add the cooked macaroni. Add water and make a paste just enough like a dropping consistency. Heat oil for deep frying and drop in hot oil in small sizes and deep fry till they are cooked . Remove and serve with tomato sauce/ketchup.


As a variation can add in some grated/chopped ginger and or ajwain seeds/oma.
Kids will sure to love them .

I have mainly tried with small elbow variety and for a change tried the small shells, but felt they were kind of hard. So I recommend using elbow variety.


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32 BINDI MASALA

BHINDI/BINDI/VENDAKKAI/OKRA/BENDEKAI/LADIES FINGER MASALA


Had lots of okra from my vegetable garden and after making dry fry and curries thought of making something different for chapathis. My hubby does not like dry curries for chapathis, he prefers gravies,So added in lot of onions and tomatoes to get a thicker and extra gravy. The gravy is just similar to our tomato thokku/gojju but added in few other ingredients to taste more spicier.

Okra - around 20 chopped into medium slices
Onion - 2 medium chopped fine
Tomato - 2 or 3 medium chopped fine
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tbsp
Amchur power - 1/2 tsp
Salt as needed
Oil - 2 - 3 tbsp

For tempering:
Mustard seeds, urad dhal, cumin seeds and curry leaves - all few

I like to cook okras in microwave as it saves the cooking/frying time and also maintains its shape and does not soggy. I do this way for my dry curries as well for curries. Will add to my curries just before removing. So you can place them in a wide microwavable plate( a bowl works good for small quantities) and spread the chopped okras along with a tsp of oil and cook in the microwave for 10 mts. No need to run it for the whole 10 mts. Just switch it on for 5 mts and remove and mix in and place back. If it is still sticky then cook again for another few mts until the stickiness has left completely and cooked.


For best results wash and pat dry the okras chop and leave it out for sometime and then cook them or if you have planned ahead for the next day then chop them ahead and keep in the refrigerator covered tightly, I have seen this method also reduces the cooking time to remove the stickiness. The other method my friend here uses is adding some tamarind pulp while frying.

Heat oil in a frying pan and add the temperings, wait for few seconds and add the chopped onion. Fry well till golden brown. Next add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute till the raw smell leaves. Add in chopped tomatoes and fry till they are mashed and pulpy and water has left. Next add in all the powders and mix well. Immediately add in a cup of water and reduce flame. Also add salt. Cook till it reduces its volume. Can add more water needed depending upon the gravy thickness needed. Finally add the cooked okras and allow it cook together for another 3 - 4 mts. Leave it aside for sometime so the masala enters the okra very well and then enjoy your bindi masala with chapathis/rotis.

Also received these lovely awards from Priya Prashanth and Sushma. Thank you my friends for sharing them with me.







I would like to pass all these awards to
Priya
Shri
Sanghi
Sireesha
Gita
Vrinda
Nandini
Prathibha
Shaista
Jyoti V
Lubna
Preethi
Prasu
Shama
Ann
Ann
Sadhana/Muskaan
Nivedita






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37 My Interview at Solkadi

I am very happy to let you all know that I have been featured as the diamond chef at Solkadi. Have a look at my interview here .


Thanks
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41 SCHEZWAN FRIED NOODLES

Schezwan Fried Noodles.


This is dish very similar to my schezwan fried rice. Just added noodles instead of rice. Tasted so great. I always love to add lot of vegetables in qunatity to my noodles dishes. They look colorful and also taste good. You can make your own schezwan sauce at home by making a paste with 6 red chillies, 2 tbsp of vinegar, little salt , 4 garlic pods.

Hakka noodles - 1 pack
Onion - 1 medium chopped thinly
Bell pepper/capsicum - 2 ( chopped thinly) ( can use different colored peppers)
Carrot - 2 chopped thinly
Cabbage - 1 1/2 cup chopped thinly
Spring/green onions - 3
Schezwan sauce - 2 tbsp
Soya sauce - 3 tbsp
Salt as needed
Oil - 3 tbsp( sesame oil)
Ginger garlic paste - 3/4 tbsp( optional)


Heat around 10 cups of water in a vessel. To it add 1 tsp of oil and 1/2 tsp of salt. Allow to boil and bubble up. Reduce flame and add the noodles. Cook for around 3 - 4 minutes. Remove and drain water. Immediately run under cold water so it avoids sticking together and drain water. Keep it aside.

Heat sesame oil in a wide wok. Add chopped onions and can also add the bottom portion of green onions, fry till transparent and then add ginger garlic paste. Next the vegetables one by one and saute ftogether for 4 - 5 minutes. See that they do not get mushy. They have to be still firm and maintain their crispness. Next add schezwan sauce, soya sauce, chopped green onions, salt needed and mix well. Also add the cooked noodles and mix well.
Can also add few spinkles of pepper powder or red chilli sauce for additional flavor and spice.

Sending this picture to Innovative- In- Law's( Pavithra and Nithya) "Garnish the event"


Received these award from friends.

Jyoti V of Panch Pakwan , Prasu of Prasu Kitchen and Hema of Salt 2 taste have passed on these awards:

Giant Bear Award

Yum Yum Blog Award

360 degree Foodie Award


Kitchen Queen has passed on these awards

Yummy Blog Award


Kreativ Blogger Award


Honest Scrap Award





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44 CHOCOLATE MILK PEDA

Chocolate Milk Peda.


This peda recipe is very similar to my Milk/Dhoodh peda recipe . Just added cocoa powder and followed the same method and ingredients.

Non fat dry milk powder - 1 3/4 cup
Butter - 1 stick( 1/2 cup) melted
Sweetened condensed milk - 14 oz.
Cardamom powder - little
Cocoa Powder - 2 1/2 tbsp


Take a wide and deep microwavable container and to it add milk powder, butter, condensed milk and cocoa powder. Cook in the microwave for 1 minute. Remove and stir in well. Immediately place back for another minute. Follow the same until it is cooked well for 4 - 5 minutes. Does not take more than that. Remove and allow it to cool for 3 - 4 minutes. When it is still warm take a small amount of mixture, press and make balls as peda or into any desired shape. Makes around 30 - 35 pedas. Kids will surely love the chocolate taste and enjoy your home made delicious chocolate peda.




Sending this to Hema's CFK event started by Sharmi

Also sending it to Sanghi's FIL- MILK Event.


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45 APPALAM VATHA KUZHAMBU

Appalam/Papad vatha Kuzhambu/tamarind gravy.


I always make appalam koottu or vatha kuzhambu with fried appalam/papad. Don't worry if they are not crunchy after frying or even if using previous days fried papad. You can just add to the koottu or gravy. They taste great.

Fried papad/appalam - 4 Crushed or broken to big and small pieces
Red onion - 1 medium chopped fine
Small/pearl onions - 5 -6 ( cut into pieces)
Tamarind - 3 inch piece ( soaked in water for 30 mts and pulp extracted)
Sambar/curry powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - very little
Urad dhal - very little
Hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - few
Salt as needed
Oil - 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp( preferably gingelly oil)


Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, urad dhal, curry leaves and hing... wait for few seconds until they splutter up and add chopped onion. saute for 2- 3 minutes and add chopped small onions. Fry till they are nice golden brown. Can add lot of onions. It gives a good gravy/consistency. Next add the powders( can substitute with home made curry powder/mulaga thool/pulusu podi). Mix well and add the tamarind extract. Reduce flame and wait till the gravy reduces and thickens. Also add salt. If the gravy is too tangy add a small piece of jaggery or 2 tbsp of coconut milk. Switch off flame and add the fried papads. The moment you add the papad - it will give a very good flavor. I usually add urad dhal papad for appalam poo koottu or this gravy. Tastes great.

Have recieved few awards from friends

Participating award from Shanthi for participating in her State's Special event. Thanks a lot Shanthi.


Parita, Priyaraj,Sarah Naveen and Priya Prashanth have passed on the 360 degree foodie award. Thank you so much Parita,Priyaraj, Sarah and Priya.


Priya, Priyaraj, Sarah Naveen and Priya Prashanth
have passed on yum yum blog award and giant bear hug . Thanks so much Priya, Priya Raj, Sarah and Priya.


Nivedita has passed me the Honest Scrap Award. Thanks so much Nivedita for thinking about me.


Sanghi has passed me this diamond friend award. Thanks so much Sanghi for thinking of me and passing it on.





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