WOOD APPLE CHUTNEY, BEL FRUIT CHUTNEY, ELEPHANT APPLE, MONKEY FRUIT

Wood apple is also known as bel fruit, elephant apple and monkey fruit.  It has got a hard shell somewhat similar to coconut and pulp inside.  It is used for curing various diseases.  It is also used in culinary purpose. It acts as blood cleanser, helps in digestive problems and also removes the worms from the intestine, good for diabetes also.

I happened to the market last time and picked up one but could not make it and got spoiled.  Today when I went to the market, I  saw this and picked up one.  Fortunately or unfortunately, it was a raw one, tastes bit sour.  Hence I decided to make three to four items with the one wood apple pulp as except me no one will eat this stuff.  I made sweet  wood apple pachadi, wood apple chutney, wood apple juice  and wood apple rice from this.

We  must select the one which has got a  sweet smell.  If it is hard,keep it under the sun for two to three days, it will ripen.  Sometimes, there is chance of getting spoiled too if it is not a matured fruit.

video: wood apple chutney

BHAGAR MILK KHEER, SAMO RICE MILK KHEER

I have already posted 3-4 items of  vari tandul or sanwa or samo rice or bhagar or chama ari or moriyo it is called.  Bhagar sarkara pongal  moriyo-ven-pongal, moriyo-dosa bhagar dosa etc.   Now I am presenting the Bhagar milk kheer.  Very easy to prepare, healthy and  a nice dish for fasting day.

BHAGAR SARAKARA PONGAL, SANWA SWEET PONGAL

Pongal festival is falling on 14th January this year.  Normally everyone make the pongal sweet and savoury with rice.  I am presenting the sweet pongal with samo rice.  Already posted  the savoury version.

This rice is used to prepare varieties of dishes during fasting.    Today is Vaikunda Ekadasai and my son's date of birth.  So thought of making this sweet dish for the neivedyam as well as for the birth day.  I made Bhagar sarakara Pongal as well as  bhagar milk kheer.  I have also posted Moriyo ven pongal and Moriyo dosa.   Here is the recipe of Sarkara Pongal.

MORIYO VEN PONGAL, SAMA RICE VEN PONGAL, CHAMA ARI VEN PONGAL

Ven Pongal is a light and healthy dish made out of rice and moongdal.  I have already posted the Dalia Ven Pongal.  Now I am presenting the Moriyo Ven Pongal or Sama rice ven pongal, chama ari ven pongal, bhagar ven pongal called by various name in different languages.  This dish is served hot with sambar and chutney.

VEN PONGAL

Ven pongal is made usually by Tamilians for Pongal.  It is served as breakast too.  For wedding and all, this is compulsory in Tamil Nadu for Breakfast as I have observed with medu vada, chutney and sambar.   This is named as Kichadi in North India. and served hot with Kadhi, papad and pickle.   It is made with rice, moongdal, pepper corns, cumin seeds etc. The ghee and fried cashewnuts adds flavour to it.  I have also prepared this with Samo rice or Moriyo rice.  
I have also posted Dalia Ven Pongal. &   moriyo-ven-pongal-sama-rice-ven-pongal.html  

DALIA VEN PONGAL (BROKEN WHEAT VEN PONGAL)

Pongal festival is on 14th of this month, I thought of sharing some pongal recipes.   Ven pongal is a South Indian dish served for breakfast.    Basically, it is a mixture of rice and moongdal cooked  with pepper corns, cumin seeds etc. garnished with cashewnuts and served with chutney or  sambar.  You serve it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the hot pongal like khichadi  made in North India is all time favourite.  I have seen this given as prasadam in temples too.  moriyo-ven-pongal-sama-rice-ven-pongal.html

Here is the variation with lapsi or dalia it is called.   Normally it is prepared with moongdal but I have added some vegetables too in it to enhance the taste as well as to make it more attractive for children to eat this.  

Ingredients:

1/2  cup lapsi (medium size) (broken wheat)

2 cups water

1/2 cup masoor dal

1 tbsp finely chopped french beans

1 tbsp finely chopped carrots

1 tbs green peas (optional)

1 tbs finely chopped potatoes

1 tbs each of bell peppers (red, green and yellow)

1/4 tsp crushed black pepper/cumin

1/4 tsp whole black pepper

salt

grated coconut (optional)

salt

turmeric powder a pinch

asafoetida

curry leaves

1 tsp  oil

1 tsp ghee

Garnishing;

Cashewnuts

1 tsp ghee

Method:

Wash the lapsi,  masoor dal, keep aside. You can use moong dal.  If you are using moongdal, dry roast the same till nice aroma comes, do not burn.  In a kadai, heat the oil and ghee, add the curry leaves, crushed black pepper/cumin, whole black pepper, asafoetida.  add the veggies and saute for a minute. add the water, turmeric powder, salt and bring to a boil.  add the lapsi/masoor dal, mix and cover it.  cook till it is done.

in case you feel that it is not cooked, add some hot water.   fry the cashews and garnish.  lapsi ven pongal is ready. 

serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar or any other chutneys.

MORIYO DOSA, VARI TANDULACHI DOSA,, SAMA CHVAL KI DOSA, CHAMA ARI DOSA

Dosa varieties are many.  Any kind of dosa with sambar or chutney is loved by everyone if it is served hot.  We had guests in the week end from Ahmadabad.  My husband's cousin brother and fly.  When she saw me clicking photographs of certain items prepared, she gave me the recipe of this.  I have made upma, mango-burfi.html with vari tandul.  Now I am posting the dosa recipe.  It is very simple and easy to make like the normal dosa only.















Let us look at the recipe now:

3 cups vari tandul
1 cup urid dal
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp beaten rice, poha
salt

Method:

wash and soak the vari tandul for 2 hours with the fenugreek seeds.  wash and soak the urid dal for 1/2 hr. just before grinding, soak the poha too.  grind them in mixer separately the urid dal and vari tandul.  while grinding thandul, add the poha.  Add salt and mix well.  keep it for fermentation.  Heat tava apply oil and make the dosas as you make the normal dosas.


varieties of dosas:

tricolour-dosa-tiranga-dosa.
cucumber-dosa.
jaggery-dosa-vella-dosa-sweet-dosa-gud.
water-melon-dosa-tarboosini-dosa-dosa.
dill-leaves-dosa.
mix-sprouts-dosaadai
adai-rice-and-lentil-crepe
bun-dosa
banana-dosa.
masala-dosa.
wheat-flour-dosa-godumai-dosa.
rava-dosa-sujidosa-semolina-dosa.
ragi-dosa-and-uttappa.
neer-dosa.
vermicelli-dosa.
rasam-dosa.
muringa-elai-adai-drumstick-leaves-adai.
junglee-rolls.

BANANA WALNUT CAKE (EGGLESS) l Cakes/bakes

Now my adventurous journey has begun with trying out bakery products.  One of my colleague gave me this recipe yesterday and I was sure that I am going to try this today without eggs.  She gave me a version with egg.  I used Flaxeeds in place of egg and the end product was awesome. The taste of banana and walnut in it makes the cake very yummy.

RASAM VADAI, RASA VADA

Rasam vadai or rasa vada is usually made whenever we make medu vada.  The real taste of rasam vada is when you make vada, you must put the same in the rasam diretly.  Then only the real taste of rasam vada you can enjoy.  This was told to me by one uncle when I served him in one of the occasion.  Since then, I followed his method and really enjoyed.  recently I tried with dosa and it was awesome.

RASAM DOSA

Rasam and dosa are my favourite.  Any time you give me rasam and rice, I am always ready to eat this with roasted papad.  I do not need any dry subzi along with it.  We all are familiar with rasam vada. Have you tried this rasam dosa?  It is really awesome if you are a rasam lover.