BOONDI LADDU

Boondi laddu is made normally for Diwali, weddings etc.  For the  "Cheeru" means various kinds of Murkuu, laddu etc. are displayed in the mandap for the wedding and given to the Bride grooms family, ofcourse, it is distributed to the relatives of the bride too.

It is a sweet dish liked by everyone.  When my mother in law used to make this dish, I never bothered to see how she is making it and only will go for binding the same into beautiful small balls out it.  But once she was very adamant that I make the same and she will instruct me how to do it.  Though I learnt the technique from her how to make this, I never bothered to repeat the process till I tried the same for my elder brother's 25th Wedding anniversary two years back and uploaded the  boondi laddu  in www.simpleindianrecipes.com.  At that time, I was sharing my recipes with Dahlia, who inspired me to start my own blog.

Coming back to the recipe, it is basically made with bengal gram flour or besan it is known as and very delicious.  My mother in law will make the boondis and put them in the sugar syrup, mix up and keep aside  and she will bind the same next day only.  But I made it after 2 hours and the same came out very well.

In this recipe, there is a slight variation, I have not used rice four.  Today is my silver wedding anniversary (25th), and made it for the party.

watch on you tube
Boondi laddu,  boondi laddu,  boondi laddu     

ORANGE BURFI (WITH MAIDA)

Hello, 



Today is our 25th Wedding Anniversary.  To mark this occasion, thought of posting a sweet dish.  

I have already posted one recipe of Orange burfi made with Mawa and orange pulp.  This is yet another recipe which I made it with Maida.  Though it does not taste like the one which I made with Mawa, you can still enjoy this flavourful dessert for a change.

Now the season of the orange is on, you can enjoy the natural fruit effect in the desserts. Orange is a rich source of vitamin C.    The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but is rich in dietary fiber, pectin. Pectin, by its virtue as a bulk laxative, helps to protect the mucous membrane of the colon by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon. Pectin has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing its re-absorption in the colon by binding to bile acids in the colon. 

Oranges also contain very good levels of vitamin A, and other flavonoid antioxidants such as alpha and beta-carotenes, beta-cryptoxanthin, zea-xanthin and lutein. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. Consumption of natural fruits rich in flavonoids helps the body to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

It is also a very good source of B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, pyridoxine, and folates. These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish. 

Orange fruit also contains a very good amount of minerals like potassium and calcium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure through countering sodium actions.

BANANA PEEL PULIYITTA KOOTU

Hi viewers, 

Thanks a lot for viewing my blog.  I am presenting a simple and easy kootu variety with best out of waste product.  Yes, that is the banana peel is normally discarded.  We can make a variety of dishes with this.  One such dish is the kootu I am sharing with you.

It is basically prepared in the tamarind sauce.  But if you have any problem in consuming the tamarind, you can also use amchur powder or kokam in place of it.

VERMICELLI THALIPEETH

Thalipeeth is a dish made by Maharashtrians which is quite healthy, tasty and easy to make too.  It is basically made out of mixture of different flour which is also readily available in the market.  However, if you cannot get it, do not worry.  You can bring the whole grains and powder it in the mixer at home.

I used roasted vermicelli, roasted rava, rice flour, wheat flour etc along with shallots, coriander leaves etc and was liked by my children.  Normally, they do not prefer to eat such stuff but it was piping hot directly from the tava to the plate, they enjoyed it along with sauce.

vermicelli thalipeeth video

MATHAN ERISSERY

Mathan erissery is made with Red pumpkin.  You need fully ripe pumpkin for this as the taste is awesome.  You can also make the same with raw banana and yam or only with one of the vegetables.  

This is basically prepared in a coconut sauce which is very very tasty and goes well with rice, chapati etc.

A speciality of Kerala and must for the feast.

mathan erissery you tube

CHURAKKA PULIYITTA KOOTU ( TAMARIND BASED LAUKI CURRY)

Lauki, dudhi  bottlegourd it is known as has got lot of health benefits.  A glass of juice in the empty stomach helps for weight reduction, keeps the cholesterol level under control,  treats in urinary tract infection, reduces inflammation in liver, replenishes water loss as it contains lots of water, keeps heart healthy, treat sleep disorders, helps in digestion, keeps cool the stomach, etc. etc.

As lauki contains almost 96% of water, it is perfect for juice extraction. It is readily available in the market and is affordable too! Moreover, extracting the juice from lauki is not at all difficult. Lauki juice is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B, sodium, iron and potassium. It has low fat and cholesterol level. As a result, this anti-oxidant drink is quite popular among health conscious individuals.

Now coming back to the recipe, the puliyitta kootu means, the lauki is cooked in tamarind sauce along with black boiled chana and chana dal.  we can also use tuvar dal instead of chana dal or only can be done with tuvar dal.  Since tamarind does not suits us, I have replaced the same with amchur powder.  This delicious dish goes well with rice, roti etc.  consistency of the gravy can be decided according to your requirement.

churakka puliyitta kootu you tube

IDLI CHOLEY CHAAT

Chaat recipes are Mumbai's street food and is loved by all.  the Pani puri, dahi puri, ragada pattice etc. etc. the list goes on.  

What about making one at home with left over items.  Seems interesting right.  Yes, it is interesting and yummy too. 

I had some idlis and left over choley in my fridge.  If I serve the same items second time, no one is going to eat it.  Hence I decided to make it a twist and made them to eat which was a hit and was asked for the second serve but unfortunately could not as both the items got over.

Yes, I am talking about idli choley chaat which was a hit in my home and demanded to make it again next day.  The fried idli mixed with choley, onion and tomatoes with the chutneys vow! experience yourself.

idli choley chaat

GINGER CHUTNEY, INJI THOGAYAL

Today I am sharing a chutney or thogayal it is called out of ginger.  It can be served with steamed rice, ghee or gingelly oil or with dal rice, molagootal rice, curd rice or with dosa too.

Ginger helps in curing various diseases.  One among them is indigestion.  Ginger is a herb. The rhizome (underground stem) is used as a spice and also as a medicine. It can be used fresh, dried and powdered, or as a juice or oil.  powdered form is called sunth powder or chukku podi.

Ginger is commonly used to treat various types of stomach ailments,  including motion sickness, morning sickness, colic,  gas, diarrhea, nausea caused by cancer treatment, nausea and vomiting after surgery, as well as loss of appetite.

Other uses include pain relief from arthritis or muscle soreness, menstrual pain, upper respiratory tract infections, cough, and bronchitis. Ginger is also sometimes used for chest pain, low back pain, and stomach pain.

In foods and beverages, ginger is used as a flavoring agent.

In manufacturing, ginger is used as for fragrance in soaps and cosmetics.

It is also used to make various ayurvedic medicines.  In diwali lehyam, ginger is a main ingredient.

ginger chutney, inji thogayal

ORANGE BURFI, SANTRA BURFI

The season of  orange has started and all seasonal fruits are liked by my children and they do not miss them.  Nagpur orange is famous in Maharashtra as well as the Nagpur Orange Burfi.  

I tasted it when one of my friend came from Nagpur and brought this for us.  I was  quite happy to get the box of burfis and without even offering  anyone, started eating it. 

Ever since I tasted that burfi, it was in my mind to try but could not do so for no reason.  This year my husband brought the big fully ripe oranges, I thought, I am not going to miss the chance of making the burfi this time.

I made the burfi in two ways one with mawa and one with maida.  But the most liked one was with mawa hence I am posting the same first and shall post the recipe with maida in due course.

Now the season has started, I preferred  to try the same with the fresh oranges only and not with ready made juice or emulsion.  The result was yummy.

RICE STUFFED CAPSICUM

rice stuffed capsicum is similar to the rice spinach skillet but without the spinach.  This dish is also can be prepared with left over rice.  The capsicum stuffed with rice and egg with spices and topped with cheese yummy when it is served hot.

I made this dish when I prepared the rice spinach skillet and the video was shot  but could not show the end product due to the time it consumed to bake.