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.