Bajra + Almond cake

Bajra + almond cake

Bajra flour - 1 cup
Almond - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 4 cups
Saffron,cardamom for flavoring
Ghee as needed
Soak almonds & remove skin. Grind to a paste
Mix Bajra flour, milk to it & make it like a batter.
Take a Kadai. Put the batter into it and add sugar.
Mix thoroughly. Switch on the stove. Keep mixing
& add ghee till the mixture starts leaving the sides.
Pour it in a greased plate & cut it into square pieces.

   

Avial without curd

Avial without curd! 
Grind 2 green chillies,3 red chillies, 7 or 8 chinna vengayam, a handful cashew, 1 tsp jeera & hand full of shredded coconut.

Add to the boiled vegetables. Add curry leaves & 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Rich creamy Avial!! Recipe by Revathy Shanmugam

Thinai Pongal and Brinjal Gothsu

Thinai Pongal

INGREDIENTS
Thinai/Fox tail millet                     1 & 1/2 cup
Green gram dhal                           1/2 cup
Ghee                                            4tbsp
Pepper jeera powder                   2tsp(Coarsely powdered)
Water                                           6 cups

Curry leaves                                 few
Ginger                                         a small piece ( grated)
PREPARATION
Roast the dhal for a few minutes
Wash and soak thinai and the roasted dhal for 20 minutes
Heat ghee in a pressure cookerwhen it is hot add the ground pepper jeera powder. Saute for a minute.
Next add the washed dhal and thinai mixture. Mix well. Now add the required quantity of wate.Put the grated ginger, salt, curry leaves and  mix  well
Close the pressure cooker & put the weight on and cook till 3 whistles.
When it cools down garnish with cashew nuts fried in ghee. If you want you can add a little more ghee to the pongal.

Brinjal Bengal gram Gothsu

·         Tomato – 2 diced

·         Onion – 1 diced

·         Brinjal - 3 diced

·         Bengalgram dhal  – 1/4 cup

·         Green chilli – 3

·         Sambar powder – 2 tsp

·         Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

·         Curry leaves – 1 sprig

·         Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp

·         Salt – to taste

·         Oil – 2 tsp

·         Soak the dhal in hot water for 15 minutes. Take a pressure cooker, add the dhal, diced tomatoes, onion, & brinjal. Add enough water to cover them. Cook for 3 whistles. Once it cools down, open the cooker & mash lightly. Add the sambar powder, turmeric powder & salt. Mix it. In a kadai add the oil, then mustard, urad dhal & curry leaves  for tempering. Add this to the gothsu. Boil for few minutes & switch off. garnish with coriander leaves.

Pineapple rasam

Pineapple rasam - This is one of my favorite rasam.
Pineapple - 1
Tamarind - small lemon size
( adjusted according to sourness of pineapple)
Salt
Turmeric powder,hing

For Rasam powder
Dhania 2 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
Red chillies 7
Grind these to a powder no need to fry

Seasoning
Ghee 1 tsp
Mustard, jeera 1/2 tsp each
Curry leaves
Coriander for garnishing
Make juice with pineapple & tamarind. Save a few pieces of pineapple for garnishing.
Add the rasam powder and proceed as the usual rasam.

If you cut out rasam powder and use garam masala, this becomes pineapple shorba

Varagu Pongal

Preparation time – 20 minutes

Ingredients

Varagu – ¾ cup

Mung dhal - ¼ cup

Water – 2 cups

Milk – ½ cup

Ghee – 4 tbsp.

Pepper+ cumin powder – 1 tsp.

Green chili - 1

Salt as required

For seasoning

Pepper – ½ tsp.

Cumin – ½ tsp.

Curry leaves

Garnishing

Cashews fried in ghee

Procedure

Wash Varagu & mung dhal with water. Take a pressure cooker and add this washed varagu + mung dhal along with pepper+ cumin powder, green chillies, water & milk. Do the seasoning with pepper, cumin & curry leaves in ghee. Close the cooker & cook for 3 whistles.

After the steam settles, open the cooker, add salt & mix thoroughly.

The varagu pongal is ready in 15 minutes

Instant Uppu Elimichangai Pickle

# OPOS Uppu elumichangai

Lemons – 10

Salt – 2 tbsp

Green chillies – 8

Ginger - Small piece

Hing – ¼ tsp

Water ¼ cup

Cut the lemons into desired sized pieces. Cut green chillies & ginger into small pieces.

Mix everything  pressure cook for  3 whistle.

Do tempering with Sesame oil & mustard.

Vegetable Arisi Upma

Vegetable arisi upma

Rice & dhal grits - 1/4 cup (rice & dhal together)

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup diced vegetables ( Carrot, beans, corn etc)

1/4 tsp salt

5 red chillies

1 tsp oil

Drop everything in the PC, mix well. Once it starts boiling close & switch off after 2 whistles. Done!

Turned out very well no compromise in taste.

Plum rasam

Plum rasam

Ingredients

Plums ( fleshy ones) – 3

Tamarind paste – 2 tbsp

Pepper jeera powder – 2 tsp

Hing – a small piece

Salt – 1 tsp

For tempering

Ghee – 2 tsp

Mustard -1/4 tsp

Jeera – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves few

Garnishing – coriander leaves.

Method

In a kadai add ghee, when it is hot add mustard, jeera & curry leaves.

When they pop add cubed plums & salt. Fry for few minutes. Then add

Pepper jeera powder & fry for few more minutes.

Now add tamarind paste with enpogh water to make rasam, give it a boil & switch off the stove.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Thirikadugam Rasam

Thirikadukam rasam - inspiration Mira Murli
Dry ginger - a small piece
Pepper - 3/4 tsp
Kandanthippili - 3 to 4 Nos.
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies 3
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder
Hing
Tamarind paste 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Seasoning
Ghee - 2 tsp
Mustar seeds - 1 tsp
Procedure :-
Dry roast all the ingredients except tamarind & powder it.
In a vessel add the tamarind paste,salt turmeric, water & powder.
Bring to boil. Do seasoning with ghee & mustard.dilute it as you need

Paruppu Podi

Paruppu podi

1/2 cup each of moong dhal, toor dhal, urad dhal, fried gram dhal ( pottu kadalai)
Red chillies 8
Dhania 1/2 cup
Jeera 2 tsp
Tamarind  a small piece
Salt 1 tsp
Hing 3/4 tsp

Fry everything in a dry Kadai except jeera. 

Cool & powder. Store in airtight container. 
This can be eaten with hot rice and ghee.

Idli Milaga Podi

Idly milaga podi
1/2 cup each of  Bengal gram dhal & urad dhal
1/2 cup red chillies
Hing powder 1/2 tsp
Tamarind a small marble size
Salt to taste 
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp
In a Kadai first fry sesame seeds till they pop. The in a little drop of oil fry other ingredients except tamarind. Allow to cool & grind to  a powder in desired consistency. 

Chow chow kootu with a twist

Chow chow kootu with a twist
Chow chow 2 cups ( cubed)
Moong dhal 1 cup
To grind
Onion 1
Jeera 3/4 tsp
Red chillies 5
Put everything in PC & cook for 4 whistles.
Open mix thoroughly & season with urad dhal, mustard, red chillies & curry leaves in coconut oil.

Instead of Grinding "Onion 1
Jeera 3/4 tsp
Red chillies
Jeera 3/4 tsp
Red chillies 5
You can use grated onion, red chili powder and jeera powder to make it an OPOS recipe !  

What is #OPOS?

What is #OPOS

World's simplest cooking concept - The #OPOS (One Pot, One Shot)

                                                                             

OPOS technique uses one pot. It is Microwave, mixie, blender, open vessel or pressure cooker and cooks in just one shot> No steps involved.

 In all OPOS recipes ingredients are listed  followed “Cooking Method”

Cooking method 1: Pressure cook.

Cooking method 2: Blend all.

Cooking method 3: Mix all.

This concept is created by Rama Krishnan in United By Food, a forum in Facebook.

I am part of this forum and will be posting #OPOS recipes which are simple & easy to follow.

Even a child can cook.

OPOS is about one thing. It eliminates uncertainty from cooking. 

 Pressure cooker, blender, microwave, grater and knife are preferred OPOS tools.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1KbN9ImfUA

Paneer Vathakkuzhambu Something Different!

Paneer Vathakkuzhambu  (OPOS)

Grind together

Onion 1

Tomato 1

Coconut scraped 1 tbsp

Green chilly 1

Sambar powder 2 tsp

Salt 1 tsp

Tamarind paste 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder ¼ tsp

Hing a small piece

Grind everything together to a smooth paste. Mix water to this for desired consistency.

Add 1 packet of paneer cut into cubes. Do tadka with mustard & curry leaves.

Cook in PC for 1 whistle. Recipe inspired by Chithra Viswanathan

Methi Ki Launji

Methi ki launji ( Rajasthan)

Sprouted methi - 1 cup
Kismis - 1/4 cup
Dates - 1/4 cup
Chilly powder - 1&1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Jeera,dhania powder -
1/2 tsp each
Hing - 1 pinch
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
Put everything in a PC cook for 2 whistles.
Based on Tarala Dalal's recipe. I tweaked it to my taste 

Murungai keerai podi

Murungai keerai podi

Fry with little oil

3 spoons of urad dhal

1 spoon of chana dhal

7 red chilies,

Add  1/2 tsp of jeera before grinding

Micro wave ( MW) the murunga keerai till dry.

Powder all of these in the mixie.

If you like you may  microwave a few garlic cloves along with the keerai.

 Excellent podi with hot rice and ghee. 

This recipe was given to me by my friend Shyamala Srivatsan 

Oats bajra butter thenkuzhal

Oats bajra butter thenkuzhal  ( Bajra - Pearl millet)

oats roasted & powdered 1/3 cup, 

bajra flour 1/3 cup,

processed rice flour 1/3 cup(store bought),

fried gram flour 1/4 cup (pottukadalai), 

salt, jeera, 

butter 1tsp. 

Mixed into a dough & made this.

 Appadiye karayaradhu! thenkuzhal is in a dull color...

Kothamalli ( Coriander) Podi

Kothamalli milaga podi

Chana dhal -3 tbsp
Urad dhal - 3 tbsp
Red chillies - 15
Tamarind - gooseberry size
Salt as needed
Hing - 1 small piece
Coriander - 1 bunch
In a little oil fry hing,dhals & red chillies.
Then add the salt & tamarind to them.
Clean, wash & cut coriander.
Dry them in MW in batches or leave it on a paper to dry.
Once the fried dhals are cool grind in a mixie to a grainy texture.
Add the coriander leaves to this and give it a run!
Kothamalli milagai podi is ready 

Bajra & Barley idli

Bajra,barley idli 

 barley - 1 1/2 cup,

 Bajra - 1 1/2 cup

 poha 1 cup,

 urad dhal 1 cup.

 Soak & grind exactly like regular idly. Idli comes out soft & fluffy! 

Pazham Pachadi

Fruit pachchadi
Its usually made in weddings
Recipe
Banana diced 1
Apple cored & diced 1
Kismis  a fist full
Tomatoes 2 diced
Sugar 1/2 cup
cardomom powder 1/4 tsp
Little water.
Add everything to a 2L  Pressure cooker and cook in Medium low flame for one whistle (9 mins)

Avial ( Mixed vegetable stew)

Avial with pottukadalai
Cut vegetables - 2 cups
(Vazhakkai,senai, carrot,beans,white pumpkin,avarakkai etc)
Salt to taste
Green chillies - 6
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Pottukadalai (roasted gram) - 1 fistful
Jeera - 1 tsp
Curd - 1 cup
Seasoning
Coconut oil + curry leaves
Wash all the vegetables drain & put in PC with a little salt and cook in low flame for 10 minutes. ( till you get nice aroma of the veggies).
Grind to paste green chillies,coconut,jeera,salt, fried gram.
Add this mixture & the curd to the to the cooked vegetable, mix it nicely.
Heat a little coconut oil, add curry leaves & pour it over the Avial.

Avarakkai ( Broad beans) Rice

Avarakkkai (broad beans) samba sadham  

Something different i wanted to try with avarakkai instead of kootu, curry or kuzhambu  

Recipe - rice 3/4 cup,

water 1.5 cup,

avarakkai 1/2 cup,

pepper & jeera 3/4 tsp each,

salt,

hing,

cashews. 

Fry pepper & jeera in little ghee and powder it. In a tsp of ghee temper with mustard & urad dhal. then add cashew, fry till golden add the pepper jeera powder saute for few seconds. In a PC add washed rice, cut avarakkai, water & the tempered ingredients.cook for 7 mins in med flame. Its done! came out udhir udhir & tasty!

Thakkalikkai (Raw tomato) Pickle

Thakkalikkai pickle

Green tomatoes-10 chopped
Garlic pods - 4 chopped
Green chillies -10 cut into two
Mustard Seeds- 3 tbsp
Red Chilli powder- 3 tbsp
Turmeric powder-1 tsp
Salt to taste
Gingelly oil
Powder mustard seeds. Mix all the powders with the chopped tomatoes,chillies & garlic. Then pour the gingelly oil. Mix it thoroughly.
After an hour tomatoes have started leaving water. So I think it will be ready by this evening. 

Once more Kaliiiiii

Once more Kaliiiiii

Oats morkali ( autolysis method) - 1 cup oats dry roasted. mixed with 1/2 cup curd & 1 cup water. In a pressurecooker, add oil, do tadka with mustard, mormilaga & curry leaves. then add the oats mixture. mix it vigorously, close the cooker,place the weight & switch off the stove. Open after 20 mins. Morkali will be ready!

This is a place where i wanna pen down the romantic experience of my taste buds... Hope you guys  try and enjoy it too...