Avalakki Payasa
Here is one more delicious dish from South India made during festivals. Its a payasa made with avalakki/beaten rice, milk and sugar. Its my Mother-in-law’s dish, she makes it during most of the festivals. This payasa is also good to eat during fasting.
This dish is usually made during Krishna Janamastami, as an offering for Lord Krishna. The reason to make it during this festival is because of the popular story of Krishna and Sudama. Sudamas small gift of Avalakki was priceless in the eyes of Krishna. This not only shows the deep friendship between them but also tells us that all are equal in the eyes of the Lord and He does not differentiate between people. Food for thought – We should learn to treat everyone with respect and dignity, as each one is a unique creation of the Lord.
Ingredients
- 1/4th Cup Avalakki/Poha/Beaten Rice
- 2 Cups Milk
- 1/2 Tsp Ghee
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- Cashew for Garnish
Method :
- Heat a pan on medium flame, add ghee and cashew nuts, fry until golden brown. Remove them to a bowl and keep it aside for later use.
- Now to the same ghee, add avalakki/poha. Fry until it turns brown in color (don’t forget to keep stirring it until done).
- Take milk in a heavy bottom pan and boil it on a medium flame until it reduce to 3/4th of its quantity.
- Add fried avalakki/poha to the milk and continue boiling until it thickens, may be around 15mins.
- Now add sugar, mix well and let it boil until you get desired consistency.
- Switch off the flame, garnish with fried cashews and its ready to serve.
Note :
- Don’t over boil it, as it gets too thick when it cools down.
Tambittu
In North Karnataka during Nagpanchami festival, there is a tradition of making Tambittu(sweet with roasted gram). Nagpanchami is a festival of worshiping snakes. It generally falls on the fifth day of lunar month of Shravana (July/August), according to the Hindu calendar. Tambittu is the main offering/prasad made during this festival.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Roasted Gram/Channa dal (putani) powder
- 3/4th Cup Jaggery
- 5 Tsp Ghee/Clarified butter
- 1 Tbsp Shredded Dry Coconut
- 1 Tbsp Roasted Sesame Seeds
- 1/2 Tsp Cardamom Powder
- 1 Tsp Poppy Seeds(optional)
- 1/4th Tsp Nutmeg(optional)
Method :
- Take roasted channa dal in a bowl, add shredded dry coconut, roasted sesame seeds, cardamom powder, poppy seeds and nutmeg to it. Mix well and keep aside.
- Heat a pan/kadai, add ghee and jaggery in it. Continue heating on a medium flame until jaggery melts completely(it will not take much time to melt).
- Switch off the flame soon after jaggery melts and pour it on the roasted channa dal mixture. Mix well. (Be careful while mixing as it will be hot)
- Make ladoos/balls when its still warm.
Traditionally tambittu are cylindrical in shape(not ball shape). To make it cylindrical, take some mixture in your palm. Make a ball, then with your hand press a bit from top and bottom while still pressing with your other palm to form cylindrical shape(see the photo below for reference).
Note :
- It cools down very fast and becomes dry, so you need to make ladoos faster.
- If at all it becomes dry then add a 1 tbsp of hot ghee to it.
Almond-Walnut Cookies
This melt in mouth recipe of almond-walnut cookie is so easy to make that it will be ready within 30mins and is filled with nutrients.
I tried a friends almond cookie recipe and it turned out to be really good. I wanted to make it more healthy so after several trials I came up with this wholesome version by adding walnut powder along with almond powder and decreasing the quantity of all purpose flour.
Ingredients
- 3/4th Cup Maida/All Purpose Floor
- 1/2 Cup Ghee/Clarified Butter
- 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 3/4th Cup Almond + Walnut powder
- 1/4 Tsp Baking Powder
- Few Almond pieces for Garnish
Method:
- Preheat oven at 350° F/180° C.
- Mix ghee and sugar until sugar melts and become smooth paste.
- Now add Maida, Almond-Walnut Powder(refer Note below to make this powder) & Baking Powder to Ghee Sugar mixture and make a dough.
- Make small balls out of dough and arrange it on a baking tray, keep a almond piece on top and slightly press it. Bake for 15mins.
- After 15mins remove it from the oven and let it cool down for 10mins.
- Once it cools down, top it with sugar glaze(to make sugar glaze mix 5 tsp confection sugar with 1 tsp milk). This step is optional.
Note :
- This cookie can be made with only almond powder or only walnut powder(3/4th cup each).
- Ghee can be replaced with butter.
- Almond-walnut powder- In a blender jar, add equal amount of almonds and walnuts, blend it to fine powder. Don’t over blend it as it might become paste.
Pani Puri
Who doesn’t like pani puri!. And that too with homemade pani?.
I miss eating roadside chats here in US. So asked my mom for a recipe to satisfy my craving. I don’t miss roadside pani puri anymore.:D
Bhaiya jada thika/kum thika banaana 😛
Does it sound familiar? Customize pani puri according to your taste. You can make it just as you like it, right at home. The same chatpata taste with more hygiene as compared to what we get outside.
For Pani
- 3/4th Cup Coriander Leaves
- 1/2 Cup Mint leaves
- 1-2 Green Chilis
- 1 Tbsp Roasted Cumin powder
- 1 Tsp Amchur powder
- 1/2 Tsp Black Salt
- Salt as required
For Stuffing
- 1/2 Cup Dry White Peas
- 1 Tsp Red Chili powder
- 1/2 Tsp Tamarind paste
- 2 Potatoes
- 1 Tsp Pepper powder
- 1 Onion
- Salt to taste
- Fine Sev as required
Other Ingredients
- 30-40 Puris
- Sweet Tamarind Chutney(optional)
Method :
For Pani:
- In a blender, add all the items mentioned under ‘For Pani’ ingredients list. And blend it to smooth paste.
- Transfer it in a big bowl, add 2 to 3 cups of water. Stir well and do a taste test(add more salt if necessary). Let it rest for 2 to 3hrs.
- Using a strainer, strain the pani once(this step is optional). And its ready to use.
For Stuffing :
Below are a few stuffing options which can be used for pani puri.
- Soak dry white peas overnight. Pressure cook it with salt, red chili powder and tamarind paste.
- Boiled white chickpeas/blackchickpeas.
- Take boiled potatoes, smash/cut into small pieces and add salt, pepper.
- Cooked whole moong dal.
Assembling the pani puri :
- Make a big hole on top of the puri.
- Stuff it with the filling you made, along with chopped onions, sev and sweet tamarind chutney.
- Fill it with pani and serve immediately.
Note :
- You can immediately serve the pani after blending but resting will make it more flavorful.
- Add more green chilis in pani to make it more spicy.
Chocolate Cupcakes
We were in DisneyWorld last week for vacation, had tons of fun. Although we are back, our minds are still in the world of disney. So to make it more memorable made these cute little mickey and minnie mouse cupcakes.
Eggless chocolate cupcakes are piped with red frosting and decorated with mini oreo biscuits, red sugar, yellow m&ms and white pearls to make it look like mickey mouse.
These are good option to make during kids birthday parties or themed parties. If no parties then no worries, you don’t need any occasion to treat yourself. 😛
For Cupcake
- 1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4th Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4th Tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Water
- 1/2 Tsp Instant Coffee Powder
- 1/4th cup Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
- 1 Tbsp Vinegar
For Forsting
- 1/2 Cup Softened Butter
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
- 2-3 Tbsp Milk
- 2-3 Drops Red Food Color
For Decorations
- Mini Oreo Biscuits
- Red Sugar
- White Pearls
- Yellow M&Ms
- Strawberries
Method :
For Cupcakes :
- Preheat oven at 350° F or 180° C.
- Line muffin tray with cupcake liners and keep it aside for later use.
- Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, cocoa powder. Add salt and sugar to it and mix well.
- In another bowl take lukewarm water and mix in instant coffee powder. Once dissolved add oil, vanilla essence and vinegar, mix well.
- Slowing add wet ingredients into dry ingredients and with the help of a wire whisk combine until it is well incorporated(make sure you don’t over mix it).
- Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3rd full with the batter.
- Bake it for 15-20mins.
- Once done, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 5mins.
For Forsting :
- Take butter in a bowl and beat it with a electric beater until smooth (you can also use a whisk instead of electric beater).
- Add powdered sugar to butter and beat it until well combined.
- Add in vanilla essence, red food color, milk and fold until mixed.
Disney Decoration :
- Using Wilton 1M piping tip, start piping from edges and go until middle.
- Sprinkle some red sugar on top.
- Take a mini oreo biscuit, remove the cream and use these biscuits as ears.
- To make it a mickey mouse use 2 yellow m&ms.
- And to make it minnie mouse sprinkle some white pearls. Use strawberries to make a bow.
Crushed Peanuts Chikki
Chikki or Brittle is a dessert made of nuts, it can be cashew, badam, pistachio, peanuts or combination of these nuts. Its made of just 2 ingredients i.e nuts and sugar/jaggery. Its one of the quickest desserts that will be ready in 10mins.
It can be served as an evening snack and also a great snack while traveling.
While I was studying in Bangalore, whenever I visited my hometown, mom used to always pack chikkis for me. It was so satisfying to eat these chikkis when I came back to the hostel with a hungry tummy.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Peanuts
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1 Tsp Ghee for greasing
Method :
- Grease a flat surface and a rolling pin.
- Take peanuts in a kadai/pan and roast it on a medium flame until there skin peels off easily.
- After 3 to 5mins when peanuts slightly cool down, rub them between your hands and peel off all the skin.
- Coarsely grind the roasted and shelled peanuts.
- Heat a heavy bottom pan on a medium high heat and add sugar to it. Keep stirring continuously until it melts.
- As soon as sugar melts, switch off the flame and immediately mix the coarsely grinded peanuts.
- Pour the peanut and sugar mixture on the greased surface. Roll it evenly and cut it into squares when still hot.
- Store it in airtight container.
Note :
- Sugar can be replaced with 3/4th cup of jaggery.
- Roasted peanuts from stores can be used to reduce the roasting time.
- 1 Tsp of ghee can be add to the sugar while melting, it helps in getting shine on the chikki.
- Mixing the peanuts in the sugar syrup and pouring on the greased surface should be done immediately as the mixture will cool down quickly and gets hard to handle.
Masoor Dal
Dal is one of the staple foods of India. It is cooked on a daily basis in Indian homes. Its the main source for protein in vegetarian diet. There are variety of dals, but masoor dal is the one which doesn’t take much time to cook. With just few basic spices delicious masoor dal will be ready in just few minutes.
Masoor dal can be cooked in many ways. Here I am showing you a simple way to cook this dal. It can be ready in 10mins.
This dal can also be used in Dal tadaka or Panchratna Dal.
For other Indian Dals Click Here
Method :
Using Cooker –
- Chop onions and tomatoes. Finely chop garlic.
- Heat a cooker pan, add oil. When its hot enough add jeera, turmeric powder, slit green chili and garlic. Sauté for a minute.
- Then add onions, sauté for another minute. Now add tomatoes and masoor dal.
- Add 2 to 2.5 cups of water, along with red chili powder and pressure cook it for 2 whistle.
- When presser is down, open the lid and add salt. If dal is thick then add some water and let it boil for sometime.
- Switch off the flame, add lemon juice. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with rice.
Without Cooker –
- Soak dal for 30mins.
- Take soaked dal in a pan, add water and cook it until dal become soft and mushy.
- Heat another pan, add oil. Once hot, add jeera, turmeric powder, slit green chili and garlic. Sauté for a minute.
- Add chopped onions to it and sauté until translucent.
- Then add chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Now add cooked dal, along with salt, red chili powder and water as required.
- Let it boil for 2mins, switch off the flame. Add lemon juice, stir well.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
Note :
- Kasuri methi and/or garam masala can also be added. I like to keep this dal simple so I did not add these ingredients.
Tutti Frutti
Tutti frutti is candied papaya usually used in fruit cakes, cookies, toppings on some deserts or its even yummy to eat as is.
One day my husband asked me the process of making tutti frutti, then I started wondering why this question did not come to my mind, I always enjoyed it eating but never even thought what its made of. Then there comes the help of internet, googled and got to know how easily it can be made with just 2 main ingredients, raw papaya and sugar. Next grocery store visit we made sure we bought the papaya and made these colorful tutti fruttis.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups/ 200 gms Raw Papaya
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence
- Food Colors (I used Red, Yellow and Green)
- Water as needed
Method :
- Peel the papaya, also remove the seeds and soft white inner layer. Cut it into small uniform cubes.
- Boil 4 cups of water. Add chopped papaya pieces to the boiling water and cook for 3mins. Switch off the flame and let the papaya pieces rest in the same water for 5 more mins with the lid closed. After 5mins strain the papaya pieces and keep it aside.
- Meanwhile, take 2cups of each sugar and water in another pan. Boil till the sugar dissolves completely, then add blanched papaya pieces and continue boiling it until you get one string consistency(it may take around 15 to 20mins). Add vanilla essence, stir well and switch off the flame.
- Take 3 to 4 bowls (depending on how many colors of tutti frutti you want to make), divide papaya and sugar syrup mixture into equal portions. Add each food color to different bowls, give it a stir and let it rest for 12-24hrs.
- Next day or after 12hrs strain the papaya pieces and spread it on a wire rack, dry it until there is no stickiness left (it may take around 24hrs).
- When its completely dry, transfer it to a air tight container and refrigerate it.
French Toast
Ever thought of eating French Toast on a lazy sunday morning and wondering how to make it with out eggs?. Here is a simple way to do it with just few ingredients from your pantry.
Either you don’t have eggs in the fridge, you are allergic to it or may be personal choice, you can still savor the taste of french toast. You just need Milk, Corn flour, Custard powder, Sugar and you favorite Bread to make this soft from inside and crispy from outside dish.
Method :
- In a mixing bowl take milk, corn flour, custard powder, sugar and mix well.
- Heat a pan/tawa and grease it with butter.
- Take a slice of bread and place it in the milk mixture, after few seconds remove it and squeeze a bit to remove the excess milk. immediately place it on pan.
- Cook it for 2-3 mins or until golden brown and flip it and cook it on another side as well. Repeat the same with other slices.
- Serve hot with maple syrup/honey.
Note :
- Fresh berries and whip cream can also be served with french toast.
- If there is no custard powder in pantry then no worries, you can just use corn starch along with 1 tsp of vanilla essence.
- Use almond milk to make it vegan.
Apple Crisp
Apple Crisp is one of my most favorite desserts. It consists of baked apples, topped with a crispy crust. Its incredibly easy to make with just few ingredients and tastes just amazing!.
For Filling
- 6 Apples, peeled and chopped
- 2 Tbsp All purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
For Topping
- 3/4th cup Oats
- 1 Cup All purpose flour
- 1/2 Cup Brown sugar
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/4th Tsp Nutmeg powder
- 1/4th Cup Walnut/Pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/2 Cup Chilled Butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4th Tsp Salt
Method :
- Preheat oven for 350° F.
- In a bowl combine all the ingredients mentioned under Filling list.
- To prepare topping take another bowl mix oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt. Blend the butter pieces into the mixture until it forms small size lumps. Stir in walnuts/pecans.
- In a greased baking pan, first add in the apple filling and then the topping mixture. Bake for 30 to 35mins. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
