Reposting for 'Only' Kids Delight

I am reposting my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe for Pari's 'Only' Kids Delight Event.

Jhangri - My first attempt

Jhangri is a sweet I can eat all day long. When my MIL was in June, she made Jhangri and showed me how to do it and asked me to try putting with less quantity. I wanted to try it for a long time but because of some personal reasons, didn't get time to try it. But last week I was going through Rak's Jhangiri Recipe and got tempted so much.  Yesterday I made up my mind to try and luckily it came out really good. First three pieces were not so good cos I soaked it in the sugar syrup for a long time. It became soggy. But then I managed to find out the reason and finished the project!

I am sending this Jhangri recipe to I am sending this Poli recipe to Tried & Tasted Event - Raks Kitchen, this time Sowmya of Nivedhanam is hosting, an event by Kitchen Chronicles by Lakshmi Venkatesh.

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Neiappam

I made these neiappams for today's evening tiffin. My patti used to be an expert in making neiappams. She had her iron appakaaral. I used non-stick appakaaral for making this neiappam. This time I followed Aparna's Neiyappam recipe,  instead of my patti's. Both were almost same except for the fact that my patti usually add couple of teaspoons of ghee to the appam batter. Aparna's My Diverse Kitchen blog has been chosen for this month's T&T event by Srivalli, initally started by   Zlamushka, currently taken over by Lakshmi.

Pumpkin - Papaya Dry Curry (thoran)

I make Mathan Thoran (Pumpkin Dry curry) very often. I got a small raw papaya yesterday and my vegetablewala told me that it will be really good if we make sabji with it. I was not very sure about it but then wanted to give it a try. So I jused half of raw papaya with pumpkin this time and made this curry. While making the masala, I used fennel seeds instead of Cumin. It came out really good and the aroma was so good.

Ingredients:-

1. Pumpkin & Raw papaya - 2 cups (cubed)
2. turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
3. coconut - 3 tbsp
4. Green chillies - 2 (acc to taste)
5. Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. salt to taste
7. Oil - 1 tsp
8. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Urad dhall - 1/2 tsp
10. Curry Leaves - few for garnishing.

Take a pan, pre heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, fry urad dhall and curry leaves to golden brown. Add the cubed pumpkin & papaya pieces, required amount of water, turmeric powder, required amount of salt and let it cook for 5 to 7 mts. In the mean time, grind coconut, fennel seeds and green chillies to fine paste. When the veggies are 3/4th cooked, add the coconut masala paste to it and let it cook for another 5 minutes or till the veggies are cooked. Turn off the stove when the excess water is absorbed. Serve it with some rice. It tastes very good.

I am sending this papaya & Pumpkin curry to Priya's Cooking with seeds - Fennel Seeds.

Brinjal Poricha Kozhambu with Garbanzo Beans

I made this poricha kozhambu yesterday with light green color Brinjal & garbanzo beans. I never knew that we can use garbanzo beans for making Poricha Kozhambu. When my MIL was here with us coupld of months back, she told me that she makes poricha kozhambu with garbanzo beans also.. This is how I make poricha kozhambu always.  This is something,but I liked it very much than the previous one.

Ingredients:-

1. Brinjal - 1 cup (small cube sized)
2. Tamarind - a small lemon sized
3. Garbanzo beans - 1/4 cup **
4. Toor dhall -  1/2 cup ( I used little less than 1/2 cup)
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 + 1/2 tsp
6. Sambar powder - 1 tsp
7. salt to taste

To Grind:-

1. Coriander seeds -3/4 tbsp
2. Channa dhall - 1 tsp
3. urad dhall - 1/4 tsp
4. Red chillies - 1 (Acc to taste)
5. Fresh coconut - 2 tsp
6. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. Asafoetida -a pinch

For tempering:-

1. Oil - 1 tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Asafoetida powder- a pinch
4. fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Curry leaves - few

Soak garbanzo beans in water overnight. Soak tamarind in required amount of water for half an hour. Squeeze the juice from it and keep it aside. In the mean time, pressure cook the toor dhall adding 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and keep it aside.  Take a pan, pre heat a drop of oil and fry the ingredients given to grind. Fry it till everything becomes golden brown. Let it cool and grind it into a fine paste. Keep it aside. Take the same pan, pre heat the remaining oil, fry the ingredients given for tempering, to golden brown. Add the chopped brinjal pieces and saute for a minute. Now add the squeezed tamarind juice, soaked garbanzo beans, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, sambar powder, required amount of salt and let it boil for 7 to 10 minute. When the garbanzo beans & brinjal is 3/4th cooked add the grounded coconut paste and let it boil for another 3 minutes. Now add the cooked toor dhall and let everyting cook for 5 more minutes. Adjust water according to the required consistency.

** - I added the garbanzo beans directly to tamarind water without pressure cooking it. Lucky for me, it was fully cooked by the time, kozhambu was ready. When I was telling this to my MIL, she said its always better to pressure cook garbanzo beans (atleast couple of whistles) cos most of the garbanzo beans won't cook properly.

I am sending this to Jayanthi's "Jay Ho" Event.

Mango Nuts Payasam for MEC Potluck Party

I made this payasam for my father-in-law's 27th day ceremony.  Since Srivalli's MEC Potluck Party is going on, thought of making it in microwave.  This is the first time, I am making a payasam in microwave.  There are few reasons I pick stove top instead of microwave for making payasam. One is laziness, you have to be very cautious when u r planning to cook (especially with milk) in microwave and other is I have the habit of forgetting. I always prepare my tea in microwave and forget to take it out.  Today I was literally sitting in the kitchen to finish this payasam and since the quantity was less, it took just 10 mts to finish it. I have used the microwave safe Pyrex vessel for making this payasam. Please make sure you use a microwave safe vessel for cooking in the Microwave....


Ingredients:-

1. Ripe Mango - 3/4th cup (chopped)
2. Almonds -5
3. Cashews -5
4. Milk - 2 1/2 cup
5. Sugar -  3 tbsp 
6. Edible Camphor - a pinch



nuts

half cooked mango in milk

Mango & Nuts Mix with Milk

Mango Nuts Payasam

First cook the almonds and cashews with 1/4 cup of water for 2 minutes.  Let it cool. Peel the skin off from the almonds and grind both into a fine paste. Keep the paste in the same mixie jar. In the mean time, put the mango 1/4 cup of milk in a vessel and microwave it for one minute. Let it cool.  Now put the mango chunks along with the grounded nuts and grind it. Now transfer it to the same vessel where the milk is. Microwave it for one minute. Stir it in between. Now add 2 cups of milk and microwave it for another 2 minutes (since the qty was less, it just took 2 mts for the raw smell of mango and nuts to go). Take it out and stir it nicely. Add the sugar, edible camphor and the remaining milk and microwave it for another one minute.  Your payasam is ready to serve hot.  Since i have used nuts in it, I did not garnish it at the end and no ghee is used. As I said earlier, this payasam goes to Srivalli's MEC Potluck Party event

Bell pepper thogayal

Here is another thogayal I made last week. I buy green, red and bell peppers for my husband's breakfast omlete and for his salad.  After coming back from Chennai, I saw few pieces of these three bell peppers were lying in the fridge (thanks to Nimeesha who kept it in the freezer).  Thought of trying thogayal with the those peppers and it came out pretty good.

Ingredients:-

1. Bell pepper - 1 cup ( chopped - I used all the three color bell peppers)
2. Onion - 1 (medium sized chopped)
3. Tomato - 1
4. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
5. Urad dhall - 1 1/2 tbsp
6. Red chillies - 2 or 3 (acc to taste)
7. Tamarind - couple of small pieces.
8. salt to taste
9. oil - 1/2 tsp

Pre heat a pan with oil, splutter mustard seeds and fry Urad dhall and red chillies to golden brown.  In the same pan, saute onion, tomato and bell pepper for 5 to 6 minutes till the raw smell of peppers go.  Let everything cool and grind it nicely adding required amount of salt.  I did not add coconut while grinding. If you prefer, you can add couple of teaspoons of shredded coconut before grinding. Also tomato can be replaced by adding a tiny ball sized tamarind.  

vegetable Poha / vegetable aval upma

I make aval upma very often.  But this vegetable poha was something which I learned from srivalli. Its very easy to make and it took just 10 mts altogether to finish the recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Thick Poha (getti aval) - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
3. Carrot - 1 or 1/2 depending upon the req. quantity (finely chopped)
4. Peas - 3 tbsp
5. salt to taste
6. Oil - 2 tsp
7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
8. Urad dhall - 1 tsp
9. channa dhall -  1tsp
10. Green chillies - 1 (optional)
11. asafoetida -  a pinch
12. curry leaves & coriander leaves - for garnishing.
13. Roasted Almond Powder - 2 tsp

Wash poha nicely and soak it in water for 5 minutes. Drain it after it becomes soft and keep it aside. In the mean time, preheat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, fry urad dhall, channa dhall, green chillies & asafoetida for a minute. Add onion and saute for couple of minutes. Now add the other vegetables one by one and let it cook few 3 to 5 minutes. When the vegetable becomes tender,  add the drained poha, add required amount of salt and roasted almond powder ** and mix everything well.  Garnish it with curry leaves & coriander leaves.

** Srivalli has used roasted peanut powder instead of almond powder.