ARACHUVITTA SAMBAR / SAMBAR WITH ROASTED MASALA

INGREDIENTS:

Toor dal - - 1 cup
Red chillies -- 2
Pearl Onions- 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1
Tamarind -- small lemon sizeMustard , Jeera , Methi seeds -- 1 tsp each
Garlic cloves -- 6
Vegetables -- 1 cup (chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves to garnish.


FOR GRINDING :

Heat a spoon of oil in a pan . Roast these ingredients in the the following order one by one separately .

Coconut pieces -- 4
Channa dal -- 1 tsp
Red chillies -- 10 - 12
Rice -- 1 tsp
Sesame seeds - -- 1 tsp
Coriander seeds - - 1 tsp
Jeera and Peppercorns - 1/2 tsp each
Salt to taste

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Pressure cook toor dal , garlic cloves , chopped pumpkin and chopped tomato with a spoon of oil and turmeric powder for 4-5 whistles and keep aside. Allow the steam to leave .



2) Heat oil in a kadai . Add Mustard,Methi seeds and Jeera . Once it splutters , add red chillies and chopped onion .Saute till tender .Add curry leaves .




3) Then add dal mixture to it . Add tamarind extract and salt with little water .



4) Finally add the grinded masala and mix them well . Cover with a lid and cook in slow flame till the oil separates out .Garnish with coriander leaves .

Serve hot with rice / dosa /idli.This goes to Priya's Cooking with seeds -- Sesame Seeds .

RAVA PONGAL (Sweet and Kara)

RAVA SAKKARAI PONGAL :

INGREDIENTS:

Rava - 1 cup
Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Jaggery as ur wish --i used 200 gms

Coconut pieces - sliced 1 handful

Milk - 1/4 cup
Cashews,Badam and elachi --few numbers

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Dry/Ghee roast rava till the flavour smells out.Turn off the flame and keep aside.
2) Meanwhile dissolve jaggery with hot water and filter the impurities .
3) Heat a cup of water. When it starts to boil, add moong dal and rice, cook till tender. 

5 ) Then, add coconut slices, boil for 5 minutes till soft.

6) Add roasted rava and mix it without lumps. Cook till done.

7) Mix jaggery syrup, 1/4 milk and mix it well.

Add 2 ladles of ghee, garnish it with ghee roasted cashews, raisins. 

Serve hot. 

RAVA PEPPER PONGAL :

INGREDIENTS :

Rava - 1 cup

Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Pepper - 1 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt to taste

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Dry/Ghee roast rava till the flavour smells out.Pressure cook dal with little turmeric powder and a spoon of oil for 2 whistles and keep aside.

2) Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add mustard,cumin seeds and pepper.When it splutters, add curry leaves.

3) Then sufficient cups of water for rava to be cooked with little salt . Then , add dal and rava without lumps . Cover with a lid and cook in slow flame . Remove from the flame once rava is cooked properly. Add a ladle of ghee to it.

4) Serve how with Gosthu and coconut chutney.

MUTTON BIRIYANI (Thalapakatti style)

INGREDIENTS:

• Mutton- 1/2 kg
• Basmati Rice - 1 cup
• Biriyani  powder- 2 tsps
• Onion - 1 big
• Tomato - 1 big
• Bay leaves - 2
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon -2
• Mint leaves
• Salt to taste

To grind:

• Onion - 1 
• Ginger - a small piece
• Garlic cloves - 4
• Lemon juice - 1 lime
• Split green chillies - 8

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Marinate mutton with little of ginger-garlic paste,chilli powder , salt,turmeric powder and curd for 30 minutes.

2) Soak rice for 20 minutes.
3) Heat oil or ghee in pressure cooker . Once hot add biriyani leaves,chopped onion and saute till tender .
4) Then add chopped tomato ,ginger-garlic paste and split chillies.Then, add the grinded masala and saute till the raw smell leaves. Add mint leaves and mix it well.

4) Add marinated mutton,add all the powders , salt and saute for 10 minutes . Add little water and pressure cook for 8 whistles. Allow the steam to leave and open the lid. Add 1 cup of water, bring it to boil.

5) Finally add rice and stir well with mutton. Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Remove from the flame. Open the lid after the steam leaves.

Serve hot with raitha.

Sending this to Srilekha's EFM : Mutton Series . . This one i made for New year .

MUTTON MOCCHAI KUZHAMBU

INGREDIENTS:

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Fresh Field beans/Mocchai payar -100 gms
Sambar Onion - 1 cup
Grinded coconut - 1/2 cup
Mutton masala - 1 tbsp
Garam masala Powder-- 1 tbsp
Chilli powder--1 tsp

Salt to taste
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1) Heat oil in a pressure pan.Once hot,add chopped onion.Fry them till tender.

2)Add curry leaves and chopped mutton and mocchai.Fry them till mutton leaves some water.

3) Add grinded coconut and all the masalas , salt , turmeric powder and mix them well.Add sufficient water and pressure cook for 6-7 whistles till mutton becomes tender.

4)Switch off the flame,after the steam leaves.Again leave the pan without lid in a medium flame and boil them till oil separates. Serve hot with Rice / Roti.

Sending this to Srilekha's EFM : Mutton Series .

Read more...

VANKAYA PULUSU- - ANDRA SPECIAL

INGREDIENTS : 

Brinjal -- 200 g 

Chilli powder-- 2 tsps S

Salt to taste

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Tamarind -- a small lemon size. 

Turmeric powder - -1 tsp 

  FOR MASALA : 

Saute the following ingredients one by one in the given order with 1 tsp of oil .

Onion - 1 

Coconut -- 4 pieces 

Sesame Seeds (white) --1 tsp 

Peanut - 1 tsp Red Chillies -- 2

METHOD OF PREPARATION : 

1) Heat oil in a kadai . Once hot , add chopped brinjal and saute with little water till tender . 

2) Heat oil in a pan. Once hot, add mustard and jeera. When it splutters, add the grinded masala to it with little water . 

3) Then add the tamarind extract and all the powders and salt . 

4) Finally, add par boiled brinjal to it, with 2 tsps of oil .Cover with a lid in slow flame till the oil separates out . 

Serve Hot with Rice . This goes to Priya's Cooking with seeds -- Sesame Seeds . Other recipe for the event is ; Sesame Chutney

TRADITIONAL AAPPAM

INGREDIENTS :

Raw rice -- 1 cup
Fully boiled rice-- 1 cup
Methi seeds -- 1 tsp
Urat dal -- 1 handful
Salt to taste

METHOD OF PREPARATION :

1 ) Soak both rice and dal with methi seeds for 2 hours .2) Grind them in a grinder till smooth batter.The batter should be little watery . So , that we can get thin and crispy ones.

3) Mix salt to it before making aappam .

4) Heat aappam pan . Leave a ladle of batter to it and spread the batter by rotating the pan.

5) Spread a tsp of ghee or oil .

6) Cover with a lid . Once done , serve hot with Coconut milk and sugar .

For coconut milk , grind 1/2 of coconut in mixie with sufficient water and filter it . While having appam,spread required coconut milk over it and sprinkle some sugar to it . This goes to Priya's Think Spice : Think Fenugreek seeds event initially started by Sunitha .

RAGI PUTTU

INGREDIENTS :

Ragi flour -- 2 cups
Country Sugar as required
Grated Coconut as required

Sesame oil as required

METHOD OF PREPARATION : 

1) Take cup in a dry bowl . Sprinkle water and slowly mix them . See to that the flour is wet. Don't add water at a single stretch , sprinkle little by little and the flour must not be too sticky or watery . 

2) I made this in a idli steam pan . Just spread this in the cloth of idli plate and cook for 10 minutes .

3) While serving , mix it with sugar, sesame oil and grated coconut . Tastes good when served hot with sesame oil.

This goes to

1) Madhuram's JFI - Ragi event started by Indira.

2) Radika's Healthy Fast Food

3) Sara's CFK : Healthy Breakfast event started by Sharmi .

MIXED BEANS KURMA

INGREDIENTS :

Mixed beans - - 1 cup(butter beans / field beans / soya beans/pigeon peas)
Split green chillies -- 2
Pearl Onion -- 1 cup chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
Curry and Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

For Masala:

Coconut pieces -- 6
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Cloves--2
Cinnamon sticks -3
Elachi -- 2
Chilli powder--1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste--1 tsp

METHOD OF PREPARATION : 

1) Heat a tbsp of oil in a pressure cooker . Add all beans with the grinded masala and cook for 4 whistles.

2) Meanwhile , heat oil in a pan . Add mustard and jeera . Once it splutters , add curry leaves, chopped onion, tomato and saute till tender.

3) Then , add grinded masala and salt with little water.

4) Then , add the beans mixture and allow it to boil .Cook till the oil separates.

Serve hot with Roti/Chapathi.
This goes to EC's MLLA-19 th event started by Susan

Only event , Cooking with soya by preethi, initially started by Pari .

MATTU PONGAL SPECIAL RECIPES

My Paternal Grandparents own Paddy Fields and we used to celebrate Pongal to the utmost enjoyment . We will arrange for a family get together on Mattu Pongal in my grandparents Village . The Whole village will be full of happiness and excitement . Villagers will arrange lot of competitions among them like Rangoli (each and every house will participate) , Bull decorations , Bullock Cart Race , Kabadi , Running race etc . The most important and popular among them is 'Jallikattu' .

Myself and my sisters will participate in Rangoli . Prizes will be distributed .

This temple is very special for our family . Lord Ganesh with Nandi face was given to this temple by my Paternal Great Grand father . So , for every pongal we gather here and keep pongal .

This year i missed it . Since my cousin haven't uploaded this year's celebration , i uploaded Pongal-2007 pictures when i was there . We used to clean the whole temple , apply oil to the idols and wash them , wear new dhotis for them , apply sandal and kumkum , new garlands and flowers .



We keep pongal in a very big pot for a family of 20 members . Each one stir it, when their turn comes.It will be a real fun to hold the ladle and turn huge quantity . One stir will make my sisters and myself tired . On seeing us exhausted , my grandmother used to give a menu chart of healthy village recipes to our mothers to make us strong and healthy .



My Mom in her turn...



My Aunty and her son doing their turn ,




Waiting for this year's celebration photos ............i really missed them......

This year rangoli in my home in hyderabad .



Special Rava Kara Pongal and Rava Sakkarai Pongal .



Will post the recipes soon!!!

PONGAL CELEBRATION 2010

Pongal is the harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu . Well known as ''Ullavar Thirunaal '' .It marks the first day of the tamil month , Thai . From this year , this festival is also to be celebrated as Tamil New Year . This festival is highly enjoyed and celebrated in all the villages of TamilNadu . This festival is celebrated for 4 days,usually from January 13 --January 16 every dear . The first day as 'Bhogi' ---people burn all the old clothes,mats etc . The second day 'Pongal/Ullavar Thirunaal' --- people remove all the wastes from the house and white wash them , decorate their doors and windows with ' Koora poo' , keep pongal in a decorated mud pot and tie Sugarcanes to their gates . They draw colourful beautiful Rangolis .The third day ' Mattu Pongal '--villagers decorate their cows,paint their horns and keep bull game popularly known as 'Jallikattu'.The last day is celebrated as 'Thiruvalluvar Dinam ' .

This year's rangoli in my home ,



Pot decorated with flowers . Usually in TamilNadu , we tie with turmeric leaves . Since , here in hyderabad , we couldn't find them.I just decorated with flowers .


Pongaloo Pongal


Serving all the special food to God in a Banana Leaf, the menu includes Sweet Pongal , Sweet Pumpkin Curry,Green Peas Curry and Aloo Sambar . My grandparents used to say 'Sweet Pumpkin ' is a must on Pongal Menu.



Pongal Celebration in Hyderabad :

During this festival time , we can see lot of such decorated cows . People will decorate their cow and come to each and every home in the morning . In our place , we used to call the cow as 'Bhoom Bhoom Maddu ' . It will shake it's head for whatever it's master says.


Yet , another event is Kite Flying . People of different classes fly kites to mark the festival . Beautiful collection of kites were available in the market .