Thengai Poornam Kozhukattai, a delicious and easy to make kozhukattai with sweet coconut filling. If you're pressed for time and don't have time to make elaborate poornam(filling) for your mothagam/kozhukattai, then this kozhukattai would be your saviour.

If you haven't tried this kozhukattai before, do give it a try on upcoming vinayagar chaturthi and i'm sure that you would be amazed by its taste and flavor.

It's one of the kozhukattais that i grew up eating a lot. Back in the days, Amma never used jaggery as sweetener for Thengai Kozhukttai. Always she used a couple of tbsp of sugar and generous amount of crushed cardamom. Grated coconut along with sugar and cardamom itself is simply amazing and i remember that i would have finished half of the filling before making the kozhukattai :-)

Also whenever Amma makes idiyappam for breakfast, she would have made a few of these kozhukattais or Thengai pidi kozhukattai as a last batch for our mid-morning snacks.  

Coconut

For this recipe, i would highly recommend to use the freshly grated coconut/frozen grated coconut. Desiccated coconut won't work for this recipe.

Sugar

Here i have used simple white sugar because that's what i grew up eating and making it the same way brings so many good memories :-) But you can use raw sugar or any kind that you like.

Once the kozhukattais are cooked, the sugar melts completely, creating a homogeneous coconut stuffing so you won't taste any raw sugar at all.

Cardamom

Coconut and cardamom are the match made in heaven. So for any coconut based sweet, i like to add cardamom and for this recipe a generous amount of cardamom would elevate the taste and flavor so much.

Ok, now let's check out how to make this delicious Thengai Poornam Kozhukattai 

Thengai Poornam Kozhukattai | Coconut Kozhukattai

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 10 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Thengai Poornam Kozhukattai,Coconut Kozhukattai Thengai Poornam Kozhukattai, a delicious and easy to make kozhukattai with sweet coconut filling.

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

Ingredients

For Outer Layer

Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Boiling water - a little less of 1/2 cup

For Stuffing

Grated coconut - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 1/3 to 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedure

First let's make the dough, take the flour in a bowl, add sesame oil and salt. Give a good mix. 

Pour the hot water into the flour and make a soft dough. Keep it aside for 5 mins.

Next for the stuffing, add all the ingredients listed under "For Stuffing" in a bowl and mix it all together. That's it, Coconut stuffing is ready.

Now let's shape the kozhukattai. Take a small portion of dough and make a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a small disc on a greased banana leaf/ parchment paper. 

Add a spoonful of coconut stuffing on one side of the dough and then fold the parchment paper and press the edges of the kozhuttai gently so that it sticks together. Then remove the kozhukattai from the parchment paper and place it on the greased steamer basket. 

Steam the kozhukattais for 5-7 mins in a medium flame.

Delicious Coconut Kozhukattai is ready.

Related : How to make Peanut Kozhukattai

Notes:

• Sesame oil gives great taste to the kozhukattais, so i highly recommend to use the sesame oil.
• Don't overcook the kozhukattai otherwise, the cracks would appear on top of the kozhukattai.

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Cream Cheese Danish Pastry, a delicious pastry made with cream cheese and puff pastry. It's one of my favorite pastries to make at home with store bought puff pastry. 

It's such an easy recipe to make for tea-time get together or on weekend evenings to enjoy with friends / family. 

Here in this recipe, i have used strawberry jam for the filling along with cream cheese. But you can use any of your favorite jams in this recipe. My other favorites jams to use in this recipe are raspberry jam / blueberry jam.

Tips to make perfect cream cheese pastry 

• Make sure to take out the puff pastry from the freezer a couple of hours before.
• Make sure to use the room temperature jam and cream cheese.
• Lemon zests add an amazing flavor and it also helps to balance out all the sweetness.
• Though i skipped the egg wash in this recipe, you can do it for even more coloring on the top. 

Like any pastries, this too becomes soggy as it cools down so i highly recommend to serve this fresh out of the oven. However, you can store the remaining in the refrigerator for a couple of days. 

Don't microwave the leftover pastries, it softens the pastry further. Leave it on the counter top for 30 mins or more and serve it as it is ! 

Now let's check out how to make this delicious Danish cream cheese pastry.

Danish Cream Cheese Pastry | Eggless Cheese Danish

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Pastry | Recipe Cuisine: Danish
Danish Cream Cheese Pastry, Eggless Cheese Danish, Eggless Pastries Cream Cheese Danish Pastry, a delicious pastry made with cream cheese and puff pastry.

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

Ingredients

Puff Pastry -1

Cream Cheese - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 2 to 3 tbsp

Lemon zest - 2 tsp

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Strawberry jam - 1/4 cup

Butter - 1 tbsp

Procedure

Take the puff pastry out of the refrigerator and let it thaw. In a bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Give it a good mix until it all comes together.

Next take the puff pastry and roll into a thin sheets and make a angled slit on the sides as shown in the below pics.

In the center of the puff pastry, add the cream cheese and spread it evenly and then add the jam and spread it well.

Then cover the cream cheese and jam filling with the puff pastry from the sides overlapping one another like shown in pics below. 

Preheat the oven @375 F. Transfer the puff pastry into a parchment line baking tray and brush the top with some butter. Bake it in the oven for 20 mins or until the top becomes golden brown.

Delicious Cheese Danish is ready. Let it cool a bit and then cut into desired shapes and serve.

Related:How to make Egg Puffs

Notes:

• Depends on how sweet you want, you can add more or less sugar.

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Pazham Pori | Ethakka Appam | Nendra Pazham Bajji

Pazham pori is a delicious banana fritters made with a special variety of banana know as Nendra pazham. Nendra pazham is a regional famous banana variety in the state of Kerala and it's known for its unique texture and taste.

Nendra pazham(both ripe and un ripen) is great for cooking and a lot of dishes can be prepared with it and this  Pazham pori is one of  dishes made with the well ripen nendra pazham.  

Nendra Pazham

As i said earlier, this fritters is only made with nendra pazham and you can't substitute other varieties of bananas for this recipe. In the states of Tamilnadu and Kerala, you can easily find this banana in most of the stores. Here (both in US and Canada), you can find them  in Indian Stores around the Onam festival time. 

Frying

I have used the Sunflower oil for frying but heard that coconut oil is used for this recipe for great flavor and taste. So you can try frying in coconut oil too if you want.

It's such an easy recipe and can be prepared in less than 20 mins. So it makes an idle chai time snack. Do give it a try and i'm sure that you will love it.

Pazham Pori | Ethakka Appam

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves : 3 
Recipe Category: Curry | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Pazham Pori, Ethakka Appam, Nendra Pazham Bajji,Indian Banana Fritters Pazham pori is a delicious banana fritters made with a special variety of banana know as Nendra pazham.

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

Ingredients

Nendra Pazham(ripen) - 1

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1/8 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Baking soda - a pinch

Water - as needed

Oil - for frying

Procedure

First peel the skin of the nendra pazham and cut into thin slices in preferred length(as shown in below pic). Next in a bowl, add the all purpose flour, sugar, salt, turmeric powder and cardamom powder. Mix it all well together. 

Next add the water little by little and make a thick batter like the bajji batter. 

Heat the oil for frying. Once the oil is hot(check by add a drop of batter and it should come up in  3-4 secs) , take a slice of nendra pazham, dip it in the batter so that both the sides are well coated with the batter and then drop it in the oil gently. Do the same for the remaining.

Cook the pazham pori in the medium heat for 3-5 mins or until the outside layer is crispy. Once it's well cooked, remove it from the oil and place it on tissue paper.

Delicious Pazham Pori is ready. Enjoy it hot with a cup of chai !

Related : How to make Rava Appam

Notes:

• Don't add too much baking soda. Otherwise it will absorb a lot of oil.
• Here i have used crushed cardamom seeds instead of cardamom powder.

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Korean Vegetable Pancake | Vegetable Pancake

Korean Vegetable Pancake, a delicious and easy to make pancake with lots of veggies. It's one of our family favorites so i used to make this often and we love to have it as breakfast or as snacks in the evenings. 

Toddler in our house is a huge fan of this pancake.That's main reason for frequent making of this pancakes. 

These pancakes are so good on their own and don't need any side dish. However, for adults, any  spicy sauces(like sriracha ) would be a great dip for these pancakes.

Vegetables 

For this pancake, i highly recommend to use cabbage, mushrooms,capsicum, sweet potatoes and spring onions without fail. 

Cabbage is the key for this pancakes. For the total 3 cups of vegetables, i use 1 to 1 & 1/4 cups of cabbage alone. It gives a nice texture to the pancakes.

Sweet potato gives mild sweetness that makes these pancakes so delicious.

Capsicum and spring onions are mainly for the flavor. Without these, the pancakes would be less flavorful and taste so different.

Mushrooms are for umami flavor . My favorite is brown mushrooms compared to white mushrooms because of its intense flavor.

Flour 

For this recipe, you can use mix of all purpose and atta flour and it tastes equally good as made with the all purpose flour alone. However, don't increase the amount of flour. The whole purpose of using flour in this recipe is to hold the vegetables together. So add as needed only.

Ok, now let's check out how to make these delicious Korean style vegetable pancakes.

Korean Vegetable Pancake

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2 
Recipe Category: Pancakes | Recipe Cuisine: Korean
Korean Vegetable Pancakes, Veg Pancakes, Korean Veg Pancakes Korean Vegetable Pancake, a delicious and easy to make pancake with lots of veggies.

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

Ingredients

**Vegetables( thinly sliced) - 3 cups

All purpose flour - 3/4 cup

Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Water - 3/4 cup or as needed

Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

** I have used cabbage, mushrooms, spring onions, capsicum, sweet potatoes. 

Procedure

Cut all the vegetables into thin slices. Cabbage, mushrooms, spring onions, capsicum, sweet potatoes are the commonly used vegetables in this pancakes. Put all vegetables in a bowl and then add salt and pepper.

With your hand, mix all the vegetables well and then add the flour and water.

Mix it all well until the mixture holds together when you form a ball. Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan.

Take a portion of mixture and place it in the pan, then gently spread it like a patty. 

Cook it on a medium flame until both sides are golden brown.

Delicious Vegetable pancakes are ready.

Related : How to make Baozi / Chinese Steamed Bun

Sometimes, i like to sprinkle a tsp of white sesame seed on top of the pancakes. It really enhances the flavor. If you like the sesame flavor, you can do that!

Notes:

• Be a little generous with oil for crispy pancakes.
• You can make this as small pancakes or as one big pancakes like pizza and then cut into desired shape before serving.

It tastes good even when it cools down completely. So i always make some extra when i make it for breakfast and have it as snacks for that evening. 

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Coconut Pastry, a delicious snack made with puff pastry and sweetened coconut filling. Whenever i crave for the Indian famous Dilpasand / Thengai Bun, this is my short cut to satisfy my craving. 

This coconut filling recipe is the same as the Dilpasand / Thengai Bun, but instead of making dough for the bun, i have used the puff pastry for the outer layer. It tastes so delicious and you can't stop by one.

Coconut filling 

In today's recipe, i have used fresh coconut because i knew that it would be gone in minutes and there would be no leftovers so i didn't worry about it going bad.

But you can very well use coconut flakes or desiccated coconut (see my coconut bun post where i used coconut flakes for the stuffing ). Make sure to adjust the sugar depends on  whether you're using sweetened or unsweetened coconut. 

Puff Pastry 

I have been using the "Tenderflake" puff pastry(not sponsored/ad) ever since we moved to Canada and so far it's good for making the savoury and sweet as well.  

When this coconut pastry is right out of the oven, it's crispy(i know which is totally contrary to the coconut bun) but still it tastes amazing.  But if you really want the soft outer layer like a coconut bun, just leave it for a couple of hours or overnight so that the outer layer of the pastry becomes soft. 

Shaping the Coconut Pastry

In today's recipe, i have just folded it in half (you can see it in the step by step pictures) and cut it into squares. But you can make it as bite sized pastry like how i did in this mini apple turnovers. So it all depends on how you want or what occasion you're making. 

I personally make bite sized pastries for a get-together or someone visiting our home or when i'm making more that last for a couple of days.

Ok, now let's check out on how to make this delicious coconut pastry. 

Sweet Coconut Pastries | Coconut Pastry

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Serves : 4 
Recipe Category: Dessert/Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Coconut Bun, Thengai Bun, Coconut Pastries, Coconut Pastry Coconut Pastry, a delicious snack made with puff pastry and sweetened coconut filling.It tastes like coconut bun/Thengai bun.

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

Ingredients

Puff Pastry - 1 sheet

For Stuffing

Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Tutti frutti - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cashews - 5
Raisins - 2 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Water - 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Procedure

First heat the pan with ghee, add the cashew and raisins, roast till the raisins are puffed up. 

Then add the sugar, coconut, and water. Mix it all together and cook till the sugar is completely melted.

Next add the tutti frutti and cardamom powder. Mix it all well and let it in the flame for 2-3 mins. Switch off the flame and let it cool completely.

Preheat the oven @ 420 F

Take a one sheet of puff pastry and roll into thin sheet with a rolling pin.

Then add the coconut stuffing on one side and close the puff pastry from the other side such that the coconut stuffing is sealed well. 

Next, take a fork and press it on the outer edges of the pastry(it helps to seal the edges well and also make a nice design on the border.) Then transfer the pastry sheet into a parchment lined baking sheet and cut the pastry into squares as shown below.

Brush the top of the pastry with some milk and put it in the oven and bake it for 15- 20 mins or until the top turns golden brown.

That's it, Delicious Coconut Pastry is ready to serve.

Related : How to make Bakery Style Vegetable Puffs 

Notes:

• Depends on the sweetness of the coconut add more or less of sugar.
• Adding tutti frutti truly enhances the taste of the pastry. You can use store bought or home made tutti frutti

 

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