NEI PAYASAM

NEI PAYASAM

Nei payasam.

Payasam means kheer.  A sweet dish made with jaggery, plenty of ghee for Neivedyam in temples as well as at home.  This mouth watering kheer remains in the fridge for around 15 days if kept properly.  This is normally made in Uruli ( a brass vessel) in temples and even at home.

IDLI FRY

IDLI FRY

IDLI FRY

Idli fry or fried idli  is very  simple, easy to make dish.  It can be made with left over idlis too.  What you need is idlis, gun powder or chilli powder, grated coconut etc.  Easy to make and serve hot.  You do not need chutney or sambar for this as with gun powder or chilli powder, it tastes awesome with garnishing of coriander leaves.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 5 minutes
serves: 1

Ingredients:

4 Idlis cut into 6-8 pieces
2 tbsp gun powder
1 tsp oil + 1 tsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urid dal
few curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida

chopped coriander leaves for ganrishing

Cut the idlis into 6-8 pieces and keep aside.
In a kadai, heat the oil and ghee, add the mustard seeds, urid dal, curry leaves, when it splutters add the idli pieces, gun powder, asafoetida  and mix well. saute for 2-3 minutes. serve hot.

a very easy, simple and tasty dish.

KADALA CURRY l BLACK CHICKPEAS CURRY l HOW TO MAKE KADALA CURRY

Black Chickpeas or Kadala Curry is made to serve along with Puttu in Kerala.  This is a famous breakfast.  The hot steamed putt along with Kadala Curry or Safed Elaichi Banana (Kunnan Pazham), Papad and Sugar.    Basically, my family members do not like this hence for me I  make it whenever I feel like eating the Puttu in coconut shell.

Coming to the Kadala Curry, the  masalas used by various people are different but here I am presenting a simple recipe.  You can try with the masalas of your choice too for variation.

Video:

RICE PUTTU l VEGTABLE PUTTU l KERALA CUISINE l HOW TO MAKE PUTTU l BREAKFAST RECIPES

Today I made Puttu and vegetable Puttu for breakfast as my brother was at home.  My children and husband do not like this item so for making it only for me, i do not take much trouble.  Since my brother likes it, I thought I am getting a chance to eat this.

Puttu  is one of Kerala’s traditional breakfast item that is usually served with Banana, pappadam, sugar or Kadala curry (Black Chana Curry).    This dish is one of the favorite breakfast in Kerala which is also very easy to make. We get ready made puttu powder in almost all malayali/tamil stores.  We can make this in the idli vessel, coconut shell etc.  The champa rice puttu podi (puttu flour ) is very tasty in fact.  It is a simple and easy to make dish.

Puttu is steamed in a vessel specially designed for this, consisting  of one bottom vessel for filling water, one cylindrical shape top portion, a perforated plate and a cover with hole in it to escape the steam while cooking.  This vessel can be purchased from any malayali stores or you get the same in Matunga.  If you happen to visit Kerala, you can pick one from there.

Here I am giving you the recipe of vegetable puttu as well as the normal puttu.  The normal puttu is made with the rice powder and grated fresh coconut and served hot with Kadala curry, pazham (banana) sugar, Papad etc.  The vegetable version can be eaten as it is or with coconut chutney, sambar or with any curry of your choice.  

Video: Rice Puttu

PUMPKIN MASOOR SOUP

Masoor dal along with pumpkin makes a very tasty, healthy soup. It is simple, easy to make and healthy too.

Pumpkin is  one of the very low calorie vegetables and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; However, it is rich in dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins. The vegetable is one of the food items recommended by dieticians in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs. Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E.

Masoor daal is used in every household to make curries or sambar. It is a very common lentil and easily available as well. Masoor daal cooks very fast and does not need any kind of soaking before cooking it. Even tough people may treat it as a simple lentil; it has many properties which are good for health. People who are pure vegetarians can eat this lentil everyday. They will get the same amount of strength that non-vegetarian people have.

Many times we see that people complain about having less blood in their body.

Pumpkin masoor soup

Let us look at the recipe now:

PULI KUTHI UPPERI (STIR FRIED VEGETABLES WITH TAMARIND PULP)

When my aunty visited my place yesterday, we were discussing about the olden days recipes as she is also a very good cook and much interested in making and feeding her own children as well as grand children.  Though I am aware of the recipe and made it long ago, could not post it.

Puli kuthi upperi is made with certain vegetables viz. lady's finger, raw banana, green brinjal, flat beans, red pumpkin.  Colacasia leaf is also included in this and it is a main ingredient in this vegetable.

This tangy stir fried vegetable can be served as a side dish for dal rice, molagootal rice, rasam rice or as a side dish for chapati too.  It is a unique,  tangy,   recipe of Palakkad (Kerala State) enjoyed specially during rainy season when the colacasia leaf is available abundantly.  The lady's finger is also a unique one which we get long greenish, whitish in colour.

Puli kuthi upperi (stir fried vegetables with tamarind pulp)

Let us look at the recipe now:

BITTER GOURD CURRY l PAVAKKA KUZHAMBU l PAVAKKA PITLA

Bitter gourd is  very bitter in taste and will not be liked by all.  However, considering the health benefits and  its medicinal properties that aid in diabetes, liver issues, stomach complaints, skin ailments such as psoriasis and blood purification, we much include this in our diet atleast once in a week.

It is an  antioxidant, fight  against cancer, to lower cholesterol, to combat HIV, kidney stones, measles, as well as malaria.   particularly high in vitamins C, A, folates, thiamin, zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese and dietary fiber.

My in laws house, they just finely chop the same and put in curd and salt and have it along with their meals.

bitter gourd curry, pavakka or parakka pitla,pavakka kuzhambu

Let us look at the recipe now:

BEETROOT TOMATO SAAR

Beetroot is a super-storehouse of both vitamin C and iron.   Both are essential elements for health.  The beta cyanin in beetroot can help detox your liver, having a knock-on effect for your bloodstream, by helping the body to eliminate toxins and potentially preventing the build-up of fatty deposits. Beetroot juice helps  to reduce high blood pressure.  Tomatoes are powerful blood purifiers and clear up urinary tract infections.   They have anti oxidant properties as they are high sources of vitamin C and vitamin A. The Vitamin A especially wards off macular degeneration and improves eyesight.   High in fiber they are freely used by weight watchers.

Today, I made Beetroot rasam following Ms. Dahlia Twinkle’s recipe of www.simpleindianrecipes.com.  As I was making it, thought of adding little bit of ingredients and make the saar.  My daughter when she was in baby sitting used to tell me Aunty’s tomato saar is very tasty.  Thought will give a twist to the Tomato Saar and the recipe is here.

Let us look at the recipe now:

NEER DOSA

Neer  dosa  preparation is is very simple, easy to make and good for the people who cannot consume Urid dal.  Recently, I was going through some recipes and comments and happened to read that one person had stated that he cannot consume urid dal. He loves dosa, can you suggest some recipes.  I had mentioned to him about this recipe.  Hope he will be enjoying it.

I happened to eat this dosa at Sion in a hotel when myself and my husband were out one day.  I liked it very much and want to make the same. Though I could not succeed in making the same as it was served in the hotel in a plantain leaf, it was tasty with chutney and sambar, I made it in my way.

My son loved it and has taken to college several times.  Lastly when I made it, he just had the dosas plain without any accompaniments.  Today I was having aam ras in the fridge and tasted with it and it was awesome.  I told him to try but he was reluctant.  Somehow I do not know why he just got up and took a bowl of aam ras and finished the dosas within 10 minutes.  When I asked him, he said I was right.

Now it is your turn to enjoy this dosa with aam ras. (mango puree)

Let us look at the recipe now:

SABUDANA VADA (SAGO VADA)

Normally, people eat sabdu dana kichadi, sabudana vada etc. on the day of Vrat, Upwas.  Normal days also you can prepare and eat this as there is no hard and fast rule that it has to be made on Vrat day only. This is a lovely item liked by me vada and kichadi, anytime, i am ready to eat so also raw hard Amrud, Peru.

I have already posted sabudana kichadi and have been waiting for making this vada.  Today I was clearing my raw material rack, I found around half a cup of sabudana (small pearls) in one corner.  So did not miss the chance.  washed it and soaked thinking that i will make kichadi only like that the time passed and could not make it.  So in the evening was hungry and for snx what to do.  Normally, we have to soak the same for 2-3 hours but this was lying in the vessel since morning around 0800 hours to 1630 hours.

sabudana vada with sweet curd and sauce

Let us look at the recipe now: