SEMIYA KESARI, SEVAI KESARI

Kesari is a sweet dish made with flavours viz. pineapple or plain.  This dish is normally seen serving for any occasions or festivals.  In Tamil Nadu, this dish is part of the feast.

Sweet items are always liked by everyone, espcially, when it is mild in sweets considering the health issues.  Kesari/Sheera is made with rava also.  Here I am preparing the kesari with semiya.  Roasted ready made sevai is available in the market hence need not take any pain to roast the same.

The preparation method is like we make other Kesari but only the main ingredient i.e. suji/rava is replaced with semolina.

MUTHIA ( A GUJARATI SNACK)

Here I come with another snack item called Muthia.  Muthia is a Gujarati snack item.  Fist in Gujarati is called "Muthi".  This item is made  or shaped in a cylindrical shape or rolls  by using our fist.  It is a spicy steamed dumpling later on cut into pieces and seasoned and garnished with coconut and  coriander leaves.  

I had a Gujarati neighbour and she used to make this very often.  Whenever she makes this, one plate is  there surely on my table.  However, this recipe I am sharing with you all is shared by Ms. Rinku Shinde, my another neighbour.  There was lot of left over rice with her and she made this by using that.

ALOO BHAJIA, POTATO BHAJIA

Potato Bhajia or aloo bhajia is a very tasty snack especially  during winter or heavy rainy day.  The hot and spicy bhajia along with a cup of tea or coffee is heavenly and I love to sit near the sliding in my balcony and watch the rain.

For crispy bhajias, you can add bit hot oil in the batter or rice powder which will give a crispy texture.  When somebody comes home unexpectedly, it is an easy snack for me.  Also I  make bread pakoda for my unexpected guests if  dosa or idli batter is out of stock.


Note:  I used to add one or two teaspoon dosa or idli batter in it instead of rice powder.  I also make the bhajias with dosa batter by adding 1/4 cup besan for 1 cup dosa batter.

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Coconut chutney is an accompaniment for dosa, idli, ven pongal etc.  It is made out of coconut with green chilly, chutney dal etc. The dosa and idli is incomplete with chutney.  It is very simple and easy to make.

DOSA

For making dosa we can use the boiled rice as well as raw rice.   Dosa can be served for breakfast, evening snacks or dinner.  If you give me dosa any time, I am ready to eat with sambar, chutney, rasam etc.

 Here I have used the Surti Kolam rice, urid dal, tur dal and fenugreek seeds for making the batter.

SCHEZWAN DOSA

Dosa is liked by all with sambar, chutney specially when it is served hot in plantain leaf.  I love to eat in plantain leaf whenever I get a chance, I never miss it.  Schezwan dosa, rice is also the favourite of children, especially.  today when  I was making dosa, though I will make this too as I had the vegetables with me.

BROCOLI STEM CHUTNEY

I have posted various chutneys on my blog.  Here is another simple, easy and delicious chutney with the stem of brocolli.  After removing the florets, I used to make use of the stem in some subzi, dal or in soup.  Today I prepared dosa and wants to make some chutney with it as I was lazy to make sambar.  Yesterday I boiled the florets and gave to my daughter and husband and the stem was lying in the fridge.  It became handy today for me to make the chutney.  With some fried chana dal and onion, the chutney was very tasty with dosa.

SEVAI RAVA UPMA

Upma is a breakfast item served in every household.  It is also served as dinner.  Made out of semolina with some veggies, it is an awesome breakfast with some hot pickle, chutney or sambar.  I prefer to have it with yoghurt and lime pickle.  Normally it is made with semolina, but here I have made it with some sevai too.

sevai rava upma

AMLA CANDY

Amla has got lot of medicinal values.  It is used in preparing lots of auyervedic medicines.  It is rich in Vitamin C.  It is good for diabetic patients.  During amla season, you can make candy and store it.  You need only sugar and amla for making this.  Sugar syrup which is obtained while making candies can be used as a amla sharbat so that it does not go waste.

Let us look at the recipe now:

Ingredients:

1/2 kg amla
400 gms sugar

Method:

Wash and pat dry the amla.  In a large vessel boil enough water to immerse the amlas. when the water is boiled, add the amlas and boil for 2-3 minutes.  switch off gas.  allow to remain the same in the hot water for another two minutes.  after that drain and allow to cool.  now cut the amlas into pieces.  put the amlas in a vessel and sprinkle 350 gms sugar on top of the amla, cover and keep for 3 days. by the time, the sugar will melt and  the amlas will settle down.  on the fourth day, remove the amlas from the syrup and put it in a plate and sun dry the same.  once it is dried, powder the remaining sugar and coat the candies with the powdered sugar.  I did not do that, by the time my candies got over.  You can store  it in airtight container.

SAMBHAR POWDER

Sambar powder is one of the main ingredient in the South Indian kitchen.  Without sambar powder and rasam powder, the kitchen is incomplete.  Some people use the sambar powder only for making rasam, however, while preparing rasam, we add little bit of black pepper powder  and cumin powder  in it.

Sambar powder is made in different ways by different people.  I am presenting my way of preparing it here.  This can be powdered and stored for a month.  More than that I do not prefer because always fresh powder I prefer.

You can fry the ingredients and grind together with coconut for Arcachu Vitta Sambhar.