Ragi korakattai

I'm trying to mix up the cereals in our diet, and my new favourite is ragi flour. These steamed dumplings are similar to the savoury korakattai made with rice flour, and I absolutely love them because they can be rustled up in a jiffy and taste really good. 

I use only half the indicated quantity of jaggery, but this is the original recipe. 

1 cup ragi flour

1/2 cup grated coconut 

1/2 cup grated jaggery

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

A pinch of salt

3 tbsp water

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients together (keeping aside 1 tbsp coconut), add water gradually to make a firm dough. 

Roll into lemon sized balls and press into an oval shape. 

Steam in a steaming plate or an idli maker for 10 minutes. 

Garnish with coconut and sugar before serving. 

Ragi idiyappan

The packers seem to have lost an entire carton of kitchen equipment, so I had to go shopping for things as basic as kadhais, tawas and pressure cookers. Since this is the first time I have gone utensil shopping since I started cooking seriously, I ended up picking up a whole lot of stuff I never possessed, but which I now feel I cannot do without. One of them was the sevai maker (which can double up as a chakli maker), which I had to try out at once. I could have started with the conventional seat, but thought of making a ragi sevai instead. I've adapted the recipe so it tastes like ragi puttu, and we all loved it.

2 cups ragi flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups water

Grated coconut to taste

1 or 2 bananas

Oil for greasing

Additional equipment- idli steamer, sevai maker

Method:

Roast the ragi flour till the raw smell goes. Add salt and mix well. 

Gradually add water, mixing and kneading throughout, till you get a consistency thicker than dosa batter but looser than roti dough*. Knead a bit more, till smooth. 

Grease the idli maker and the inside of the sevai maker with a bit of oil. 

Fill the sevai maker with the dough, and pipe it onto the idli moulds.

Cut the banana into slices and place around and above the piped dough. 

Steam for 15 minutes. 

Carefully demould the idyappams, garnish with coconut (you can mix some sugar with it), and steamed bananas and serve. 

You can also enjoy idyappams with butter and sugar. 

*- I am not mentioning quantities, because the recipes I said 2:3, but i required only 1:1

Beet root kheer

Beetroot halwa is a dish I make quite often, but beetroot kheer is not something I've tried out before. This is adapted from a carrot kheer recipe I saw, and I love it because once the grating is done, it is simplicity personified.

1 large beetroot

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

2 cups milk

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp ghee

Method:

Grate the beetroot and keep aside. 

Heat the ghee, and sauté the beetroot till the raw smell goes. 

Add the oats and milk. Stir well, being to boil, reduce flame and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes, till the volume is reduced by 25%. 

Add the sugar, mix well. 

Serve chilled. 

Hibiscus brittle

Once you start cooking with flowers, it is hard not to get addicted. And hibiscus flowers are one of the best to cook with because of the almost magical way the colours change when you add the lime juice.

So when I saw two juicy hibiscus flowers while taking the dog for a walk, I had to make myself some brittle. The flavour is quite incredible. 

4 hibiscus flowers

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 lime

Method:

Bring the water to boil. Add the hibiscus petals, and let it infuse for 15-20 minutes. 

Squeeze in the lime juice and watch it change colour to a deep red. 

Return the water to the fire, add sugar. Stir till add the sugar is dissolved, and keep heating till you get a two string consistency. 

Pour onto a greased surface and let it cool. Break into pieces, and use. 

I used it to sweeten my oats, but you can use it anywhere.  

Chocolate chip cookies

I have been wanting to make chocolate chip cookies for a really long time, but couldn't get my hands in chocolate chips. So when I found myself in the vicinity of the store that does stock them, I grabbed a packet, and within 30 minutes of getting home has whipped up this batch for us!

200 gms maida

100 gms butter

100 gms granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup chocolate chips 

Method:

Sieve the flour and baking powder till well incorporated

Add sugar and mix well

Rub in the butter till properly mixed 

Add milk gradually 1 tbsp at a time to bring it together into a firm dough

Add the chocolate chips and mix well. 

Roll into 16 balls, flatten slightly and place on a greased baking sheet. 

Bake in pre heated oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes

Meethi chawal

Both the Tamil and the Punjabi New Years fell today, and though I had to go to work, I intended coming home early. I let the cook take an evening off, but then got delayed at office. Not wanting to order out, I make this "meethi chawal" from Himachal. The jaggery I used was very light in colour, so the dish didn't photograph well, but it tasted much nicer than it looked.
I may not make it again (because I like Shakarai Pongal much more than I did this one), but I know I am going to replicate it with poha soon.

1 cup rice
3 tbsp cashew nuts
3 tbsp raisins
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup jaggery
1 stick cinnamon
3 green cardamom
1 tsp saunf
3 tbsp ghee
 
Method:
Soak the rice half an hour, strain the water, add fresh water, and boil till 70% coked. Use a sieve to strain out the starchy water, rinse with cold water and keep aside.
Heat 1 cup water, add fennel seeds, cardamoms and cinnamon, and allow it to come to a boil. Turn off the flame and keep aside for a few minutes for the flavours to seep in. Add grated jaggery, and stir till it mixes completely (heat the water, if required)
Heat the ghee, and saute the dry fruits and the shredded coconut, till slightly browned.
Add the jaggery water, and cooked rice to the dried fruits and mix well. Cover it with a lid and let the rice cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat (if you feel the rice is sticking to the pan, add a little more water)
Garnish with dry fruits and serve

Candied orange peel

There is a glut of oranges now, and when I saw a recipe to use the rind, I had to try it out. Unfortunately, I wasn't very careful in removing the pith, and there is a slight undertone of bitter in the candied orange, but it does taste really good with curds.

Peel of 8 oranges
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water


Method:
Cut the orange peel into strips, and soak in water for 4-6 hours. Remove the white part of the peel, making sure nothing is left behind.
Heat 1 1/2 cups water in a pan, add 1 cup sugar, and stir till it dissolves completely.
Add orange peel. Bring to a boil, then reduce the flame and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes till the rind starts turning translucent.
Pour into a sterilized container, and either have it as such, or use in cooking

Matar ka halwa

While I love gajar ka halwa, and try to make it at least once a year, grating carrots is not exactly my idea of fun. Which is why I have been wanting to try matar ka halwa ever since I saw a recipe nearly a year back. I finally made it today, and liked it a lot. Given my family, though, I am going to reduce the sugar a bit more next time I make it.

2 cups green peas, shelled
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp ghee
Cardamon powder, optional
Sliced nuts for garnish

Method:
Blanche the peas in boiling water for 5 minutes (or till the colour turns a more vivid green). Remove into cold water, drain and keep aside.
Grind the peas coarsely in a blender.
Heat the ghee, add ground peas, and saute till the raw smell goes.
Add sugar and milk, stir well, and cook on a low flame till most of the milk evaporates.
Stir in cardamon powder.
Garnish with nuts and serve chilled.

Til karanji

When we were discussing kozakattai and modak in office, someone mentioned til modak. Since I love the combination of jaggery and til, I wanted to try it out. But what I eventually ended up making was til karanji, which was really nice too.

1/2 cup wholewheat flour
1 tsp ghee
pinch of salt
Water to make batter

4 tbsp sesame seeds/ til
4 tbsp grated jaggery

Oil for deep or shallow frying

Method:
Knead the flour with salt, ghee and sufficient water to make the dough. Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside
Divide the dough into 8 parts, and roll each into a circle.
Mix the grated jaggary and til seeds, and divide it equally between the rolled out dough
Fold in half, seal the edges and either deep fry or shallow fry*.

* - if you increase the amount of ghee in the dough, you can also bake it

Mishti doi

It is impossible for someone to have grown up in Calcutta, and not love mishti doi. And I am no exception. Which is why I was in heaven, when a leading milk producer started making mishti doi. It was so popular that it would disappear almost as soon as it came on the shelves, but I learnt the art of hoaring it whenever I saw it. And then, it disappeared from the store, and I was returned to a Universe without mishti doi- one made even more unlivable because I had experienced it for an entire year!
So, when I saw a recipe for mishti doi, I decided to try it out, and it tastes pretty good.

Sugar 8-10 tbsp
Whole Milk - 1 ltr
2 -3 tbsp fresh curd
Butter- 1 tbsp
 
Method:
Heat the butter, and caramelize 7 tbsp sugar till the sugar turns dark brown but not black.
Add the milk and stir till all the caramel melts. Add 3 tbsp of sugar.
Boil the milk for 10-15 min till it thickens to 75% of it's original volume. Cool.
When the milk cools down, but while it is still lukewarm, add 2-3 tbsp of plain curd. Strain. Pour in a ceramic bowl and set overnight.
If the weather is cool, preheat oven for 2-3 mins, put the bowl in, and cover tightly with a lid. After 2-3 hrs, again preheat oven for a minute.(essentially, this wil set well only when kept in a v warm place).take out after 6 -8 hours.

'Plain Rose' Sago Kheer

Reading the "Sago Saga" on Kenzy's Kitchen Korner, inspired me to try my own variations of the humble Sago Kheer. This is my take on the plain vanilla version, or should I call it my Plain Rose version?

4 1/4 cups milk
3½ tablespoons sago/sabudana
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1/2 tsp rose essence
2-3 drops red food colouring

Method:
Soak the sago in water. The water should cover the sago and there should be a bit extra. Keep the soaked sago overnight, in the fridge. In the morning, drain the sago from the water and keep aside.
Bring 4 cups milk to boil, reduce the flame, and heat with constant stirring till the volume reduces to 2 1/2 cups.
Add the drained sago to the milk, and keep stirring for 3-4 minutes until the sago pearls lose their opaque white color and become colorless. Remove from fire.
Add the rose essence and food colouring and mix well. Chill in the fridge for 3 hours. Before serving, add the remaining milk and mix well.

Orange cheesecake

One never really knows what to do on our Anniversary. Since it is a day before the younger one's birthday, it doesn't really make sense to get a cake, and yet it seems almost sacrilegious to let an opportunity to indulge the sweet tooth pass by. Last year, I made gajar halwa. This year, I whipped up an orange cheesecake.
Unfortunately, I didn't incorporate the gelatin properly the first time round, so had to do it again, which meant I didn't have time to make the top layer. Better luck next time, I guess.

6 Marie biscuits
1 tbsp butter
200gms beaten fresh cream 

100gms beaten hung curds 

2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 1/2 tsp geletin 

1 orange, with the juicy part taken out

few drops orange essence

orange food colouring (very, very little)

Method
Crush the Marie biscuits into a fine powder (use a rolling pin), add the butter, and mix well. Spread at the bottom of the serving dish (line it with oil first), pat till it is smooth, and keep in the fridge for about 20 minutes to give it time to set.
Meanwhile, mix the cream and the hung curds well, with 2 tbsp sugar, orange essence and orange food colouring.
Dissolve geletin in 1 tbsp warm water, and mix it with the cream. Add a few pieces of peeled oranges (not too many, because we don't want it to release water- just enough for a bit of texture), pour it onto the base, and put it in the fridge to set for about an hour.
Serve garnished with the rest of the orange.

Pongal spread

One of the advantages of a mixed marriage is that at festival time you can choose what you want to do. If you are in a mood, you can go all out to celebrate, and if you are not in a mood, you can just pretend the festival doesn't exist.
This year, I couldn't decide how I wanted to treat Pongal, so kept putting off making a decision. It was pretty late in the morning by the time I finally decided to make Shakarai Pongal and Korumbu, but they both came out really well, and that's all I really care about. So what if I ended up eating nothing else for the rest of the week- it was a pleasure.

Gajar ka halwa- Xmas is here

The first gajar ka halwa of the season. Photograph banta hai!!!!

I bought the carrots intending to make halwa, but it languished in the fridge for two days, because I was too lazy to actually make it. I had a really long run today (one kilometer short of 25 miles), and decided we were having Mc Donalds because I was too tired to cook. And then, at 7 pm, I started grating the carrots, and gave my arm muscles a great workout. After dinner, in a fit of madness, I started on the gajar halwa, and it was done by about 11:30.  After all that, don't you think it deserves a picture at least?

Recipe here

Sweet potato halwa

I am a huge fan of halwas made out of vegetables. Not only does it satisfy the sweet tooth, with the milk and the veggies, it is much healthier than many other sweets. So when I had 250 gms of boiled sweetotatoes in the fridge, this was the first thing I thought of making. And I am glad I did.

Most of it is by 'andaz', bit worked beautifully well.

250 gms sweet potatoes boiled and mashed (I pressure cooked for about 20 mins on sim after the first whistle)
1/2 cup milk (andaaz)
1 tbsp ghee (can be less)
3-4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp raisins
cardamon powder

Heat ghee in a non-stick, and once it has melted, add the sweet potatoes, and cook with constant stirring for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the milk (you need to add enough to cover the sweet potatoes, the sugar and the raisins, and cook on a low flame till the milk completely disappears.
Take off the fire, and stir in the powdered cardamon.
Serve chilled

Policha ladoo

I don't like wasting leftovers, and now that I make my own rotis, it tears my heart everytime I have to get rid of the fruit of my mehanat (however inedible it might have become). But there is only so much roti upma you can eat, and the roti pizzas don't quite turn out as wonderful as you hope they would.
Which is why, I jumped with delight when I found that the Maharashtrian Policha Ladoo actually uses leftover rotis as the base.
Since they were pretty easy to make, I was certain the kids would hate it (one doesn't get lucky all the time, does one?), but both of them loved it. I don't need a crystal ball to predict that there isn't going to be too much roti upma for me in the near future.

3 Left over rotis
A lemon sized ball of soft Jaggery
1 1/2 tsp posto/ khus khus
1-2 tsp Shredded, un-sweetened coconut
1 tbsp Ghee


Method
Tear the roti into small pieces, and grind in the mixer with the jaggery.
Dry roast the poppy seeds, and once they start getting brown, add the coconut and roast till dry.
Mix the poppy seeds, coconut, ground roti mix and ghee to make a slightly sticky mass.
Roll into balls.
Enjoy!

Pazham bonda

Have I told you I love my paniyaram pan? So much, that when my maid misplaced it a few weeks back, I rushed to the market the very next day, and got myself a new one. And given how I love procrastinating, that's saying a lot!
So when I saw this recipe for pazham bonda, I wondered if I could adapt it for the paniyaram pan. You'll never know till you try it out, I told myself, and made it the very same day. Wonder of wonders, the younger one (who is the world's least adventurous and most fussy eater) loved it. Which means, I am definitely going to make it again, and yet again.

1 cup of Wheat flour
1/2 cup of Plain flour (maida)
1 (soggy) banana, mashed
Jaggery, to taste
1-2 cups drinking water
A pinch of baking powder
Cooking oil

Method
Combine all the ingredients above into a batter (similar in consistency as dosa batter). 

Set aside to rest for about 3-4 hours. You can leave it for longer if you have the time as well.
Heat a paniyaram pan, put a few drops of oil into each of the moulds, and pour the dough into them. Cook on a low flame, till it starts leaving the sides, turn around and let the other side cook too.
Drain and place the bonda on a clean kitchen towel.
Serve hot with tea or coffee.

Sandesh

My younger one is the most fussy eater in the whole world, so when he likes something, you can be sure I make it often.
In the few weeks since I first tried making Bhappa Sandesh, I've made it twice more.

On Diwali with a dash of cardamon powder-

On Bhai Dooj with orange flavour and colouring-

Thekua

Growing up, as I did, in what is now Jharkhand, I was seeped in Bihari culture long before I knew something called "culture" even existed. If Holi meant malpuas and dahi vada, even before Diwali got over, you started thinking of Chaat Puja and the thekuas that went with it. While the adventure of going with the large crowd of devotees to the nearest stream at sunset, and sneaking onto a rock and dipping your feet in the cold water gave you the greater thrill, you knew that there was an equally lovely treat to look forward to after you got back home.
I had forgotten all about thekuas, till a recent post, which opened the floodgates of my memory. Decades after I had last had one, I could actually taste the unique taste of thekuas. With a little bit of help from my friends at IFF, and by relying on my own memories, I managed to recreate something that tasted almost exactly like what I remembered it to be.

2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)

a pinch of salt 

4 tbsp ghee 

1/3 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar (you will have to adjust till you get the taste you want)

2 tbsp saunf powdered on a mortar and pestle

2 tbsp grated coconut

Water

Oil for deep frying

Add the salt and ghee to the flour, and mix well.

Add the powdered sugar, the ground saunf and the coconut, and knead till you get a stiff dough. You will have to keep adding the water a little at a time, and rely on instinct to get it right.

Taste a bit of the dough, and add more sugar if you feel you need it.

Roll out into thickish "rotis", and cut into circles (I used a bottle cap).

Heat the oil, and when a tiny piece of dough rises up immediately, reduce the flame and add the cut pieces. Fry in batches and drain on kitchen towels. Allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Ashtami spread- Suji halwa

I have very vivid childhood memories of going from house to house for Ashtami Puja. Though a very a fussy eater, I would cheerfully eat the puri, halwa and kala channa, because tucked away somewhere on the plate would be a couple of shiny 1 rupee coins!
Though my mother in law used to do the Puja too, I never picked up the tradition, but this year, I decided to give it a try.
Suji halwa is easy to make, as is sukha channa, but it was the first time I was attempting puris, and was I scared!
When the puris puffed up, I puffed up with pride, and felt quite a Domestic Diva as I fed my family "garam garam puris".
Unfortunately, however, when I put the first spoonful of suji halwa in my mouth, I got a whiff of hing, and before long I was able to trace it to the fact that I had used the same wooden spoon with which I had earlier made hing-walla aloo. Nobody else saw it, so not cribbing too much!

1 Cup – Sooji (Semolina)

2 Tbsp- Ghee (Clarified Butter)
1 Cup- Sugar
4 Cups – Water
1/2 Cup- Almonds, Raisins and Cashewnuts

Method 
Heat the Ghee in a Kadhai and once it is heated add the Sooji to it. 
Now keep stirring continously till the sooji gets golden brown in colour. Take care not to burn the sooji. 
Now add the water to the kadhai and soon after add the sugar. 
Again keep stirring the mixture to avoid any lumps. 
Now add the dry fruits to the mixture and after 3-4 minutes, take it off.