Kollu Kadaiyal, a delicious and flavorful curry made with horse gram. It's one of the popular recipes in the Kongu region of Tamilnadu. 

Back in the days, in Tirunelveli, Amma or anyone from our family circle never made anything with kollu so obviously I never knew or tasted kollu before marriage. After marriage, when i came to Tiruppur, i heard about kollu paruppu / rasam a lot and knew that's one of the common dishes in that region.

However, i had tried my hands on this ingredient very recently only. Couple of months back, i bought a pack of horse gram because of impulsive buying when roaming around the grocery aisle without the purchase list on hand :-)

First thing i tried with horse gram was this kollu kadaiyal. It was simply amazing in taste and flavor. Ever since i have been making this curry for at least once in 15 days. More than a curry we like this as an accompaniment. So usually i serve this along with rice and puli kuzhambu. 

The main flavor of the curry comes from the grounded spices. So i highly recommend to make it fresh instead of  using the ready-made ones.  Also, you can make this curry as mushy as you want. In our house ,we don't prefer mushy paruppu, so don't mush the horse gram completely.

Now let's check out on how to make this delicious Kollu Kadaiyal 

Kollu Kadaiyal | Horse Gram Curry

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 3 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Kollu Kadaiyal, Horse gram Curry, Kollu Paruppu description.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Kollu / Horse gram - 1/2 cup

Tomato - 1 

Garlic - 2 cloves

Green Chili - 1

Coriander leaves - a few

To Roast & Grind

Coriander seed - 2 tsp

Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp

Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Onion -1/2

To Temper

Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Mustard & urad dal - 1/4 tsp(each)

Pearl onion - 5 

Red chili -1 

Procedure

Take the kollu in a pressure cooker, wash it twice and then add 1 cup water along with roughly chopped tomatoes, garlic and green chili.

Close the pressure cooker with a lid and cook it for 5-6 whistles. In the mean time, dry roast the ingredients listed under " To Roast & Grind". First add the spice and roast till aromatic and then add the sliced onions and saute till translucent.

Let it cool completely and grind them into coarse paste. 

Once the pressure is naturally released from the pressure cooker, open the cooker, discard the green chili and then mash the horsegram roughly.

Put the pressure cooker on the heat again and add the grounded spices and bring into a boil(if needed add water as per your needed consistency).

In the mean time, temper the ingredients listed under "To Temper" and add it into the kadaiyal.

Finally add some chopped coriander leaves and mix it all well. 

Delicious Kollu Kadaiyal is ready ! You can serve this as main curry or as an accompaniment. 

Related: How to make Kollu Idli Podi

Notes:

• If you want more spiciness, you can mash the green chili as well.
• While serving, you can add a tsp of ghee for extra flavor.

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Chickpeas Pulao / Chana Biryani, a delicious and flavorful one pot rice recipe made from chickpeas, basmati rice and exotic Indian spices.

This is one of our family favorite recipes to pack it for lunchbox or one day picnic. This biryani tastes great even when we serve it cold. That makes it ideal for packing.

Today, in this recipe, i have used very less spices since i have been serving the same for my kid. If your family loves spicy food, then you can add more red chili and garam masala powder as per your family needs.

Basmati Rice

I have tried this biryani with both basmati and seeraga samba rice .  When it comes to chicken or mutton biryani, i usually prefer seeraga samba rice because of its flavor. 

But for this biryani, I really can't pick one. Both taste good in their own way. So use whatever rice you like for biryani. 

Chickpeas 

Make sure to soak the chickpeas well. Well soaked chickpeas only cook at the same time when the rice cooks. Undercooked chickpeas totally spoil this biryani. So it's really important to soak the chickpeas overnight whether you're making this biryani in the morning for a lunch box or in the afternoon for lunch.

Ok, now let's check out on how to make this delicious chickpeas biryani.

Chana Biryani | Chickpeas Pulao

Preparation Time : 8 hrs | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Biryani | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Chana Biryani, Chickpeas Pulao,Chickpeas Biryani,Chana Pulao, Chickpeas Rice Chickpeas Pulao / Chana Biryani, a delicious and flavorful one pot rice recipe made from the chickpeas, basmati rice and exotic Indian spices.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 1/2 cup

Chickpeas/Kondakadalai/Chana - 1/4 cup

Onion(small) -1

Tomato(medium) - 1 

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Coriander leaves & mint - a handful 

Oil - 1 & 1/2 tbsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Cloves - 4 

Cardamom - 1

Water - 3/4 cup

Procedure

Soak the chickpeas overnight and soak the basmati rice for 20 mins. Heat a pressure cooker with oil and add the cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom. Saute it in the oil for 30 secs.

Then add the thinly sliced onion and saute till the onions are translucent. 

Next add the finely chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves  and ginger garlic paste  one by one. 

Saute till they are aromatic and then add the roughly chopped tomatoes and all the spices(Turmeric, Red Chili and Garam Masala powder) and salt. 

Saute the tomatoes till they are mushy and oil separates from the sides. Next add the soaked chickpeas and give a good mix. 

Then add the water and bring to a boil. Drain the water from the soaked rice and add it to the boiling water.

Gently mix the rice and then put the lid and whistle on to the pressure cooker. Cook it for 3 whistles in medium flame.

Once the pressure released from the pressure cooker naturally, open the lid and gently fluff it up.

Delicious and flavorful Chana Biryani is ready ! Serve it with your favorite raita. 

Related: How to make Vegetable Dum Biryani

Notes:

• It makes a excellent lunch box recipe.
• Instead of basmati rice, you can use seeraga samba rice also for this rice.

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Mini Cinnamon Rolls, soft , fluffy rolls packed with flavorful cinnamon filling and glazed with cream cheese frosting. 

Cinnamon rolls are our family favorites! Whenever we go to the nearby mall in our area, we get cinnamon rolls from the cinnabon shop because nowadays the kiddo likes this so much.

Though i like the store bought cinnamon rolls, sometimes, i feel like they are loaded with too much sugar and can't even finish even the small ones. So one day, i tried it on my own with moderate sugar and fat ! To my surprise it was turned out really great !

It was soft but not pillowy soft with enough sweet and cinnamon flavor without overpowering ! So now i've have started to bake this often at home. However, we still buy it outside but the frequency is reduced for sure :-)

So if you like cinnamon rolls and looking for a homemade cinnamon bun that's not overpowering then definitely give this recipe a try!

 

Dough 

For this cinnamon roll recipe, i have used Tangzhong method for making the dough. Tangzhong is one of the bread making methods which originated in Japan. In this method, roux is used to make soft and fluffy bread. It's one of my favorite methods of making baked goods because it always gives such a soft bread/bun/roll.

The basic intention of Tangzhong method is to incorporate more liquids into the dough which is achieved by making flour roux and then mixing it with the rest of the ingredients.It gives such a soft baked goods without any eggs ! So it's ideal for eggless baking too.

What's roux and how is it prepared? 

Roux is flour and milk or water or fat cooked together until it becomes a thick sauce like consistency or dough like consistency depends on the recipe. Roux is used in various cuisines for different purposes. It mainly used to thicken the sauce.

Here in baking,  we use a part of flour and liquid to make roux. The roux locks in the liquid during the entire process of bread making  and doesn't evaporate, therefore the baked product has more moisture in it and gives such a soft and fluffy bread. 

Cinnamon Filling 

Cinnamon is the key flavor in these rolls. So use good quality cinnamon powder. Make sure the cinnamon powder is fresh because overtime the cinnamon powder loses its flavor.

For the filling, you can use both the white and brown sugar. 

Cream Cheese Frosting 

To be honest, i like the cinnamon rolls even without the cream cheese frosting ! But for the recipe, i have included the recipe for cream cheese frosting too. 

Also i like to apply a thin coat of cream cheese frosting on the top. But if you like to smother the cream cheese all over the rolls, then go ahead and make sure you double the ingredients. given in the recipe card. 

Ok, Now let's check out on how to make these delicious and soft cinnamon rolls.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls | Cinnamon Bun

Preparation Time : 1 hr | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Makes : 8 
Recipe Category: Rolls | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Bun,Mini Cinnamon Rolls, Mini Cinnamon Buns Mini Cinnamon Rolls, soft , fluffy rolls packed with flavorful cinnamon filling and glazed with cream cheese frosting.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 1 cup 
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Instant yeast - 3/4 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Warm Milk - 2 to 3 tbsp
For the flour roux
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1/3 cup

For the Cinnamon Filling

Cinnamon Powder - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 2 tbsp

Cream Cheese Icing

Cream cheese - 1/4 cup

Powdered Sugar - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1 tbsp

Vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp

Procedure

Measure and take one cup of flour, take one tbsp of flour from that and put it in a sauce pan for making roux.

Add 1/3 cup of milk into the sauce pan and place it on heat, stir it continuously until it's thick. Remove from the flame and let it cool a bit.

In the remaining flour, add the yeast, sugar, cardamon powder & salt  and mix it well. Then add the butter and the prepared flour roux, mix it well with hands. Next add milk little by little and make a soft dough.

Knead the dough for 10 mins or until it's smooth and place it on the bowl and cover it with cling wrap and set aside for 1 to 1.5 hrs or until it's doubled.

In the meantime, in bowl, add the sugar and cinnamon powder for the filling , mix it well and keep aside After 1.5 hrs, take the dough & punch out the gas from the dough and then transfer the dough into lightly greased work surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle.

Sprinkle the sugar cinnamon mixture all over the dough expect on the one side(where we're going to seal the dough).

Start rolling the dough from the one side to the other and make sure you pinch the dough at the end so they stick together well. Then cut the dough into 8 pieces.

Place the dough on the baking tray and then let it  proof for 30 mins. Now preheat the oven @ 375 F.

Once the dough is almost doubled, brush the top with milk and then put it in preheated oven and bake it for 20-25 mins.

After 20 mins, take it out and let it cool. In the mean time, take all the ingredients listed  "Cream Cheese Icing" in a bowl and whisk it smoothly. Once the rolls are cooled, spread the cream cheese Icing on the top and enjoy!

Taste great when it's warm.

Related: Thengai Bun / Coconut Bun / Dilpasand

Notes:

• You can store the leftover at the refrigerator and use it later.

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Chocolate Mug Cake | Microwave Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Mug Cake, a delicious single serving chocolate cake that would be ready in 2 minutes. It's one of my favourite mug cakes and i often make this as a dessert after dinner. 

If you're looking for a quick dessert to satisfy your sweet craving, then you must give this delicious chocolate mug cake a try.

A few years ago, when the mug cake was trending in the Internet world, i tried a lot of mug cakes and this was the one that i liked the most and still i'm making it whenever i want something sweet and delicious ! 

I used to share the pictures of this mug cake in IG whenever i make and also shared the quick recipe for it also when some asked but it never made it to the blog till today :-)

It's such a simple recipe and the cake would be ready in minutes. Make this cake for this valentine's day and enjoy with your loved ones or treat yourself .

Flour

Initially when i made this cake, i used only all purpose flour. But over the years i switched to Wheat flour/ atta and i liked them both. I haven't seen any major changes in the taste and texture of the cake with these two flours.

So you can use whatever you want /have.

Cocoa Powder

Use good quality unsweetened cocoa powder as it's the important flavor in the cake.

Sugar

I have used the regular white sugar and you can reduce the sugar to 1&1/2 tbsp for mild sweetness.

Chocolate chips

I have used milk chocolate chips here. You can use semi-sweet, dark chocolate too. Also you can add more or less chocolate chips as per your heart desire.

That's it. Now let's check out on how to make this easy-peasy chocolate mug cake.

Chocolate Mug Cake

Preparation Time : 1 min | Cooking Time : 1 min | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Cake | Recipe Cuisine: American
Chocolate Mug Cake, Microwave Chocolate Cake,Eggless Microwave cake, One min Mug cake, Eggless Mug Cake Chocolate Mug Cake, a delicious single serving chocolate cake that would be ready in 2 minutes.

Sandhiya https://www.facebook.com/SandhiyasCookbook https://www.instagram.com/sandhiyascookbook/

Ingredients

Wheat Flour /Atta - 3 tbsp

Cocoa Powder - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 2 tbsp

Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - a dash

Oil - 1 tbsp

Milk - 3 tbsp

Vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp

Chocolate chips - 1 tbsp

Procedure

Take a 250 ml microwave safe cup and add all the dry ingredients first. Add flour, cocoa powder and sugar in the bowl.

Next add the baking powder and salt. Mix it all well together.

Then add the wet ingredients one by one. Starting with oil and then adding the milk and vanilla extract.

Next add a half of the chocolate chips and mix it all well together. Make sure to reach till the bottom of the cup and mix everything well. Wipe the side of the cup with a clean towel.

Then add the remaining chocolate chips on the top and microwave it for 70-90 secs. Rest it for around 30-40 secs and then serve.

Tada, Delicious Chocolate Mug Cake is ready.

Related: How to make Banana Chocolate Bread

 

Notes:

• Depends on your microwave powder, it may take 70- 90 secs. Start with 70 secs and see if the top sets or else microwave it for a few more secs.
• You can reduce the sugar to 1&1/2 tbsp for mild sweetness.
• Instead of wheat flour, you can use all purpose flour too.
• Use any non-flavorful oil.

 

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