Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Black Eyed Peas Sundal | Karamani Sundal | Sundal Recipe

Karamani Sundal, a healthy and tasty sundal made from Black eyed peas. It's been one of the sundal that i used to prepare often as snacks or as prasadam to any pooja at home. 

Like chana/kondakadalai sundal, it doesn't need any sundal podi or heavy spices, basic tempering is just enough to make this sundal as delicious. 

When comes to tempering, i prefer coconut oil for all types of sundal, it gives rich flavor to the sundal and also you don't need more grated coconut on the top.Since we're using coconut oil, few tbsp of grated coconut is more than enough.
Since navarathri season is coming soon, this type of sundal is ideal for offering to god and later distribute to friends/family who come to visit the Golu. If you're looking for more sundal recipes, check out here. Now let's see how to make this delicious sundal. 

Black Eyed Peas Sundal | Karamani Sundal

Preparation Time : 5 hrs | Cooking Time : 20 minsServes : 2  
Recipe Category: Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Karamani Sundal, Sundal Recipe, Back Eyed peas Sundal, Indian Sundal, Black Eyed Peas RKaramani Sundal, a healthy and tasty sundal made from Black eyed peas. It's been one of the sundal that i used to prepare often as snacks or as prasadam to any pooja at home
Ingredients
Black Eyed Peas/ Karamani - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
To Temper
Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Mustard & urad dal - 1/4 tsp each
Curry leaves - few
Red chili - 2 
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp 

Procedure
Soak the karamani for overnight or at least 5 hrs. Next day, drain the soaked water, add  it in pressure cooker along with water(just enough to cover the karamani) and salt. Cook it for 2 whistle or until it's soft.
Heat the kadai with oil, add mustard, let it splutter, then add urad dal, red chili(break into half) & curry leaves one by one. Saute it, till the urad dal slightly changes its color, then add the cooked karamani.Let it be in high flame for few mins,till all the moisture evaporates, then add the grated coconut, give a good mix and switch off the flame.
Tasty and healthy Karamani Sundal is ready.

Related: How to make Red Kidney Beans Sundal


Notes:
  • Salt will not be absorbed by karamani after cooking,so add salt, while cooking the karamani itself.
  • Coconut oil gives great flavor to the sundal.
Continue Reading »

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Kootu Curry | Kerala Kootu Curry | Accompaniment for rice

Kootu Curry, a delicious south indian accompaniment for rice made from mix of country vegetables. This way of making side dish for rice is quite popular in south tamilnadu and kerala, it tastes so good with lunch meal and also it's one of the commonly prepared  sadya delicacy in kerala during onam festival. Here in this kootu recipe i have used  the vegetables like yam, raw banana and  pumpkin,but i had seen recipes of this kootu online without pumpkin too, so i guess you can make this kootu with or without pumpkin too. Today's recipe is more of kerala way of making this kootu which is quite different from what we used to make at our home.  Now let's check out how to make this kootu curry.

Kerala Kootu Curry | Kootu Curry

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 minsServes :
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Kootu Curry , Kerala Kootu Curry, Mix Veg Curry,Sadya recipe, Kerala recipe Kootu Curry, a delicious south indian accompaniment for rice made from mix of country vegetables.
Ingredients
Yam - 1/2 cup(chopped)
Raw Banana - 1/2 cup(chopped)
Pumpkin - 1/3 cup(chopped)
Black channa dal - 1/3 cup(cooked)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
To Grind
Coconut -1/3 cup
Green chili - 2
Garlic - 2 pods
Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp
To Temper
Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Mustard & urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Red chili -1 

Procedure
First chop yam,raw banana & pumpkin into small cubes. Pressure cook the chana for 3 whistle and keep it ready. Heat a pan with a cup of water and add the yam first.Cover cook the yam till it's half done, then add the pumpkin and raw banana, if needed add more water to cook.Cover the pan with lid and let it cook, in the mean time, grind the ingredients listed under "To Grind" into smooth paste.Once the veggies are almost done, add the coconut paste, cooked channa, turmeric powder and salt. Mix it well and let it cook until all blends well, it may take 5-7 mins, finally temper the ingredients listed under "To Temper " and add into the curry.That's it, Tasty and healthy Kootu Curry is ready to serve. It tastes good with sambar, kara kuzhambu or even with rasam.
Notes:
  • Both raw banana and pumpkin cook easily than the yam, so i have cooked the yam till it's half done and then added the rest.
  • Adjust the green chili as per your taste, the given quantity is for mild spice.
  • Coconut oil gives great flavor to the curry, so highly recommend to use it.
  • If you want more coconut flavor, roast a tbsp of coconut till it becomes reddish in color and add it into this kootu.
Continue Reading »

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Home made Ganesh idol | Vinayagar idol | Pillayar idol with Kozhukattai dough

Home made Ganesh/Vinayagar idol, an easy to make ganesh idol at home with the kozhukattai/modak dough. After being inspired  by a  lot of feeds from the social media, here's my take on home made ganesh idol. 

This is such a simple procedure to make ganesh idol with easily available ingredients at home and also its environment friendly. Here i have used two different colors to make it look more vibrant and colorful. 

But you can make without any color also.It's really up to you how you wanna make your ganesh idol. Now let's check out how to make the cute pillayar with kozhukattai dough.

Before check out on how to make Ganesh idol, let's see the FAQs 

How long does it stay good ?
It stays good for about 24 hrs. After that, the dough started to dry out and like a clay idol, it would get some cracks. 
It all depends on the moisture in the dough and humidity in your place. So I would recommend making this idol a couple of hours before doing pooja. 

What do I do with the idol after doing the pooja ?
Next day, I dump the idol in the water and let it dissolve completely and then discard it. You can pour the water over your plants or drainage.
 

Home made Ganesh idol

Preparation Time : 20 mins | Cooking Time : 0 minsMakes :
Recipe Category: Homemade Ganesh Idol | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Homemade Ganesh Idol, Vinayagar Idol using Kozhukattai Maavu, Pillaiyar idol with modak dough, Easy Ganesh Idol Making vinayagar idol at home using kozhukattai/modak dough is super easy and environment friendly also.
Ingredients
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Boiling hot water - a little less of 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tsp
Food Color -as needed(optional)

Procedure
First in a bowl, add the rice flour and oil, mix it well,then pour the boiling hot water and make a soft dough.
Divide the dough to two parts with one part having little extra dough and add few drops of colors(i have used yellow and blue here) into both dough,mix it well until it blends with the dough well.
Make a two balls from the yellow dough with one ball is slightly bigger than the others. Place the larger ball down and on top of it place the small ball, press it gently until it sticks together.Next make the small disc for ears.
Place it on the sides of the top ball. Then for the hands, make a small cylinder from the dough and in the end make a flat surface facing upwards.
Place it on below the ear on left side of pillaiyar, for the other side, make a small cylinder from the dough and in the end make a flat surface facing towards you and place it on below the ear on other side.
Next make small balls as kozhukattai and place it on left hand of pillayar. Then make a another small cylinder and place it on the center between two ears and gently bend it towards kozhukattai.
Next make two cylinders from the blue color and place it like legs on both sides, add a small piece of yellow dough on both ends of legs to make it looks like feet.
Then take a small blue dough and place it as trunk on both sides of the center hand. Finally make discs from both colors and place it on top of the pillar. Make sure the top looks like triangle. For the eyes place mustard on both sides.
I have some leftover dough, so make them as base for the idol and place the ganesh idol on top of it. 

Related: Ganesh Chathurthi Recipe CollectionsDecorate as you like with kukum and our Ganesh idol is ready.


Notes:
  • The dough should be smooth and pilable,but at the same time it should be non-sticky too.
  • Oil is must to give that shiny and non sticky texture to the dough
  • You can make this without any color also.
  • If you dough crack, grease your hand with oil and knead the dough well until smooth.
  • If the dough doesn't stick together, using little water on the sides.
  • Within a day or two the dough get dried and like clay idol, it gets some cracks and it starts to fell apart, after that i used to immerse them in the water and let it dissolve completely and discard.



Continue Reading »

Monday, September 10, 2018

Sweet Ammini Kozhukattai | Sweet Mani Kozhukattai | Ganesh Chathurthi Recipe

Sweet Ammini/ Mani Kozhukattai, a quick to make rice flour dumpling sweetened with jaggery syrup.In our school days, Amma used to make different types of kozhukattai as our evening snacks which is really a healthy and fulfilling snacks compared to any packed snacks.

Uppu kozhukattai , thengai kozhukattai and this sweet kozhukattai are the most common kozhukattai that I grew up eating as snacks and we don't wait for festivals to prepare these snacks at our home. 

Making of this mani kozhukattai  is almost the same as of uppu kozhukattai except here it's  mildly sweetened with jaggery syrup and topped with grated coconut and roasted sesame seeds for more flavor and texture.

 If you're a beginner or trying to make kozhukattai for the first time, this recipe is an ideal one to start with. It's such a fool proof recipe and you can't go wrong with it.

Related: How to make Thengai Kozhukattai

But if you're making this in a larger batch, you may find it tiresome to roll all the kozhukattai into small balls. In that scenario, you may include your kids/spouse to roll the kozhukattai, i'm sure that they would love to do it, or you can invite over your friends and do it as group cooking, chit chatting and rolling, it would be so much fun. 

Actually it reminds me of the time where Amma and aunties sat together, chit chatting and rolling the dough for seedai, paal kozhukattai. Good old memories !!  Ok,  now let's check out how I have prepared this sweet ammini/mani kozhukattai. For more ganesh chathurthi recipes check here.

Sweet Ammini Kozhukattai | Sweet Mani Kozhukattai

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 10 minsServes :
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Ammini Kozhukattai, Sweet Ammini Kozhukatti, Mani Kozhukattai, Sweet Mani Kozhukattai, Vinayagar chathurthi recipe, Kozhukattai Recipe, Easy Kozhukattai Recipe,Ganesh Chathurthi Recipe Sweet Ammini/ Mani Kozhukattai, a quick to make rice flour dumpling sweetened with jaggery syrup.
Ingredients
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Boiling water - little less of 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1/4 cup
Sesame seed - 1 tsp
Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp
Cardamom - 1

Procedure
First for the dough, take the rice flour in a bowl, add salt and oil, mix it well, then pour the boiling water and make a soft dough. Let it rest for 5 mins.
Take a small portion of dough and roll into smooth ball, do the same for the entire dough, place it on the greased steamer plate and steam it for 5-8 mins in a medium flame.
In a sauce pan, add the jaggery and water, put in on flame, let the jaggery melts completely, filter it once to remove the impurities and keep it ready.
Next heat a pan and dry roast the sesame seeds till it's aromatic, then transfer into a plate. Pour the prepared jaggery syrup into the pan and bring into boil again.Let the syrup boil until it becomes sticky.
Add the crushed cardamom powder and the roasted sesame seed into it. Mix it well, then add the steamed kozhukattai. 
Stir it until all blends well together, finally add the grated coconut, mix it well and switch off the flame.
Tasty Sweet Mani Kozhukattai is ready.

Related: How to make Ragi Mani Kozhukattai



Notes:
  • Roll the kozhukattai into small balls helps to blends with other flavors well.
  • The sugar syrup should be sticky to coat the kozhukattai well.
  • Adding roasted sesame seeds give nice flavor to this kozhukattai, but you can skip that too if you don't have it.





Continue Reading »

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Ulunthu Kozhukattai | Urad dal Modak | Salt Kozhukattai

Ulunthu Kozhukattai, a healthy savory steamed dumpling with urad dal & coconut mixture as stuffing inside. For vinayagar chathurthi, in our home, we usually make sweet mothagam/ kozhukattai along with chickpeas sundal as offerings to Lord Vinayagar and do the pooja. 

So this ulunthu kozhukattai was totally new to me until I tried on my own a year back. I got to know about this kozhukattai from the cooking show that was aired during the time of vinayagar chaturthi in one of tamil tv channel.Within few fews i tried this kozhukattai for first time as a evening snacks and we both really like it. Since then occasionally I make them as a snack or as breakfast along with some coconut chutney/kara chutney.  
As Vinayagar Chathurthi is nearing, this savory kozhukattai would make a nice addition to your regular kozhukattai list and also it's ideal for elders in the family who are on sweet diet.Now let's see how to make this healthy and delicious ulunthu kozhukattai.

For more kozhukattai and sundal recipe, check out the full ganesh chathurthi collection here .

Ulunthu Kozhukattai | Urad dal Modak

Preparation Time : 2 hrs | Cooking Time : 10 minsMakes : 10 
Recipe Category: Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Ulunthu Kozhukattai, Urad dal Modak, Salt Kozhukattai, Savory Modak, Modak recipe, Savory mothagam, Ganesh chathurthi recipe, Vinayagar Chathurthi recipe Ulunthu Kozhukattai, a healthy savory steamed dumpling with urad dal & coconut mixture as stuffing inside.
Ingredients
For dough 
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Boiling water - little less of 1/2 cup
For Filling
Urad dal - 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Green chili - 2 
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste

Procedure
Soak the urad for 2 hrs, drain the water and add into the mixie jar along with green chili and salt.
Grind them into coarse mixture. Heat the pan with oil, add mustard & curry leaves, let the mustard crackle, then add the coarse urad dal mixture.
Next add the turmeric powder and saute in the low flame for 3-4 mins, then add the grated coconut, mix it well. Switch off the flame and let it cool a bit.
In the mean time, take the rice flour in a bowl, add salt and oil, mix it well, then pour the boiling water and make a soft dough. Let it rest for 5 mins.
Then make equal sized balls and take a ball, grease your fingers with oil well and gently press it with your fingers around the edges and move towards the center, it will make a small bowl like the below image.
Take a spoonful of fillings and add into the center. Seal the edges and pinch it along the edges for some nice design.
Do the same for all the dough and filling,place it in the greased steamer basket.
Steam it for 8-10 mins in the medium flame. 
Tasty and healthy Ulunthu Kozhukattai is ready to serve.

Related : Kara Pidi Kozhukattai

Notes:
  • Depends on the quality of rice flour, you may need more or less of water, so keep a little extra boiling water in hand.
  • Use fine variety of rice flour or idiyappam flour.
  • Grind the urad dal into coarse for better texture.
Continue Reading »