Ukkarai - My 100th Post

This is my 100th post! Can you believe that? I really can’t believe it. I still remember the day, I wrote my first post and waited eagerly for somebody to drop by and leave a comment, but then I was very naïve. I did not realize that for somebody to know that I and my space existed I had to visit others too. But as days went by I also learnt. Now I can boast of 100+ followers and a good readership. Let’s leave all the statistics aside.

 During the past 10 months I have learnt quite a few things, from taking better pictures, (though I have to still improve a lot on it) to writing better posts, and also a few technical aspects. Another good thing is that I have successfully tried out quite a few recipes which I thought I would never do. I would like to thank all my readers and blogger friends who have supported me by visiting my space and leaving their valuable feedback.

Thought of posting a sweet for my 100th post! So here is Ukkarai or Okkarai. This is a simple sweet dish very popular during Diwali. Though it is supposed to be a common Palakkad Iyer recipe, my grandmother and mother never made this. It was only after my marriage that I got introduced to this dish. A healthy protein packed sweet dish, made out of Channa dal/Bengal gram dal and jaggery. So here is the recipe.

  What you’ll need:

 1. Kadalai Paruppu/Bengal Gram Dal – 1 cup
2. Powdered jaggery - 1 cup
3. Cardamom – 4 to 5
4. Cashewnuts and raisins – few
5. Ghee/ Clarified Butter – 1 tbsp

Method

 1. Dry roast the Bengal gram dal in a Kadai, till the dal becomes light brown and a nice aroma starts emanating.
2. Soak this roasted dal in water for about ½ hour to 45 minutes.
3. Cook the dal with just enough water in a pressure cooker for about 2 whistles. Dal should be just cooked and not mushy.
4. After the pressure from the cooker is released, remove the cooked dal and put it in a strainer so that all the water is drained. Let it cool.
5. Powder the dal in a blender and keep it aside.
6. In the meanwhile, heat a Kadai and add the powdered jaggery with about 1/3 cup of water. Let the jaggery dissolve completely.
7. Strain for impurities.
8. Heat the jaggery water on medium flame till Kallupakkam is achieved.
9. To check for the pakam, keep a small bowl of water, add a drop of the jaggery syrup in the water, then gather it and roll it into a ball, now throw that into the bowl, you should hear a good sound.
10. Now add the powdered dal and stir well continuously for 5 to 7 minutes or till bread crumb like texture is obtained.
11. Finally, heat a small frying pan with ghee, fry the cashew nuts and raisins and add it to the ukkarai along with the ghee. Mix well.

That’s it, yummy ukkarai is ready.

 Linking this recipe to MLLA - 40 hosted by Suma started by Susan.

Microwave Chivda

Diwali – the festival of lights is here! Diwali in the southern states of India is celebrated to mark the killing of Narakasur by Lord Krishna. Everybody must be having very fond memories attached to this particular festival and so do I. As children, me and my brother used to wait for this festival of lights all through the year. Diwali for us meant new clothes, crackers, exchanging sweets and snacks with neighbors, visiting relatives, and how can I forget lighting up our verandahs with small earthen lamps or Diyas.

On the day of Diwali, we used to be up by 4 in the morning, have an oil bath, wear new clothes and go out with my father to burst a few crackers. Whether we had breakfast on other days or not, on the Diwali, it was a must. We would be served with soft idlis, chutney and the sweets and snacks. Then we would sit down and watch the programmes on T.V, especially the Patti Mandram. Then have a fulfilling lunch with Vadai and Payasam. Next it was time for a good nap. Finally wake up to wear another set of new clothes, help amma with lighting the lamps and then again go down to burst crackers. (though not much, I was never a cracker person).

Times have changed now, though we still celebrate Diwali pretty much the same way, but the making of sweets and snacks has reduced quite a bit owing to all the heath consciousness and of course, crackers have become almost zero. (Just a few sparklers for my daughter). But I really enjoyed my Diwali as a kid rather than an adult.

Today I am sharing a simple recipe for a healthy chivda, which can be made with minimum oil and that too in a Microwave in almost no time. Chivda is a popular Maharastrian snack, made from crunchy beaten rice or aval. So let’s get to the recipe without any further delay.

What you’ll need:

1.       Thin beatn rice/poha - 3 cups

2.       Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

3.       Roasted Channa Dal/ Pottukadalai – 2 handfuls

4.       Unsalted raw peanuts – 2 handfuls

5.       Green chilly – 1, chopped

6.       Curry leaves – a few

7.       Turmeric powder – a pinch

8.       Oil – 2 to 3 tsps

9.       Salt to taste

Method

1. Place the poha in a shallow microwave safe dish,  and microwave on High for 2 minutes stirring once after one minute.
2. In another microwave dish, add the oil and mustard seeds and microwave on High for 2 minutes.
3. To this add the chopped green chilly, roasted channa dal, peanuts, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Mix well and then microwave on High for another 2 minutes.
4. Next add the poha to this seasoning and mix well. Microwave on High for another 1 minute.
5. Cool completely and then add salt to taste. You can also add a pinch of sugar if you like.

That’s it crunchy and crispy chivda is ready.

Celebrate Diwali with this healthy and tasty chivda.

Note: The above mentioned quantity of poha, served about 5 to 6 small cups. The entire thing got over in just a day. So adjust quantity accordingly.

Linking this to Radhika’s Diwali Special – Sweets and Snacks, Khushi’s My Diwali My Way, and Sravani’s – Festive Foods Events.

Also linking this to Srivalli's MEC event hosted at the Pumpkin Farm

Chow Chow Pala Pindi Miriyam

In my house, almost on 3 to 4 days of the week, I have to cook something without onions and garlic, since MIL does not eat them. Most of the days, dinner would be rotis and to make a side dish without onions is always a challenge for me. So I am always on the lookout for such recipes. That’s when I found this very interesting recipe: Chow Chow Pala Pindi Miriyam at Harini’sspace, with whom I have been paired for this week’s Blog Hop. I made this for dinner yesterday as an accompaniment for rotis and the result was finger licking. My FIL who rarely comments on anybody’s cooking, liked it very much and I happily told him that it is from one of my fellow blogger’s space. So this recipe is going to be a regular in my kitchen.

Serves 3 to 4

What you’ll need

1.       Chow Chow/Chayote – 3 Medium Sized

2.       Turmeric Powder – a pinch

3.       Milk – ½ cup

4.       Sugar – ½ to 1 tsp

5.       Salt to taste

Dry Roast and Grind

1.       Urad Dal – 2 tbsp

2.       Peppercorns – 7 to 8

3.       Uncooked Rice – 1 tsp

4.       Dried Red Chillies – 1 to 2

5.       Scraped Fresh Coconut – ½ cup

For Seasoning

1.       Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

2.       Jeera – 1 tsp

3.       Red Chillies – 1

4.       Curry Leaves a few

5.       Oil – 2 tspz

Method

Peel, core and chop chow chow into small cubes. Pressure cook this with about ½ cup of water and a pinch of turmeric powder.

In the meanwhile, dry roast the ingredients mentioned under dry roast and grind and grind it into a smooth paste adding little water.

Now heat a Kadai with oil, add the mustard seeds and let it crackle, next add in the jeera and red chillies and finally the curry leaves. Now add the cooked Chow Chow and mix well. Add salt to taste. Let it boil for a few minutes.

Now add the ground paste and mix well. Finally add the milk and sugar. Give a good stir and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Yummy gravy is ready to be served with rotis or rice.

Linking this to Blog Hop Wednesday, Healing Foods – Coconut hosted by Sukanya started by Siri.

EBOOK - 100 YUMMY DIWALI SWEETS & DESSERTS

Here's the much eagerly awaited e-book from Indus Ladies for this Diwali, which you can download from here. I am happy that my Godhuma Rava Kesari is featured in this book.

Feel free to share it with your family & friends

Have a wonderful and safe Diwali!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yard Long Beans Thoran | Payaru or Karamani Thoran

Yard long beans or payaru was one vegetable which I liked very much during my childhood. I preferred this to the other varieties of beans. But after I finished college and came home, my taste had changed. The reason being hostel food. Though there were many things which were really good in the hostel menu, but certain things like this payaru thoran, cabbage thoran etc, were made in a slightly different way and not only that: - what happens when one is fed with a particular item on every other day. You start developing a kind of dislike towards it, right! I guess that’s what happened to me. I took an aversion to cabbage and yard long beans.

From then on, whenever these veggies were cooked at home, mom would make something else for me. Still every now and then I was forced to have it at some place or the other. But after coming to Hyderabad, these yard long beans have become a kind of rarity. In this 1 ½ years of stay here, payaru has been prepared only once, reason being lack of availability of good fresh ones. Now I have again started craving for these beans.

Yesterday, I found some really fresh payaru and immediately picked it up and prepared this thoran today. I relished it a lot as it has been quite some time since I ate it. How things change with time isn’t it!

This simple thoran goes very well with plain rice and Sambar or rasam.

What you’ll need

1.       Yard Long Beans/ Payaru/Karamani – ½ Kg

2.       Scraped Fresh Coconut – 2 tbsps

3.       Green Chillies – 1 or 2

4.       Turmeric powder – a pinch

5.       Salt to taste

For Seasoning

1.       Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

2.       Urad Dal Split – ½ tsp

3.       Curry Leaves – a few

4.       Oil – 2 tsps

Method

Wash the beans. Trim the ends and chop it into small pieces.

Grind the coconut, chillies and curry leaves without  adding water.

Heat a Kadai with oil, add mustard seeds, once it splutters add the urad dal. Once the urad dal changes color, add the curry leaves. Next add the chopped beans, a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. Also add about 1/3 cup of water. Cover and cook on medium flame. Keep checking once in a while, as the water will evaporate. Add more water if required. And cover and cook till the beans are done.

Now add the ground coconut and mix well.

Yummy thoran is ready to be served with rice and Sambar.

Linking this to Kerala Kitchen hosted by Khushi and to Healing Foods event hosted by Saffron Streaks started by Siri.