BadamDatesBalls

BadamDatesBalls:

I am very eager to post this today itself, which I prepared yesterday night within 20 minutes. I wonder how could a person who was not knowing how to cook sweets, could do it in 20 minutes?

Coincidence is, I checked madscientist'skitchen today written by  Archana and she has also prepared DatesLaddoos from her partner blog, Radhika, author of Ticklingpalatea. I am also sending my post to Blog Hop Wednesday - Week #9.

Ingredients:

• Badam - 100 gms
• Dates - 100 gms
• Sugar - 100 gms
• Cardmom Powder - 1 tsp
• Ghee - 2 tbsp for frying and 1 tsp to grease on the plate
• Milk - 2 tsp to make small balls

Method:

1. Powder Badam, Dates and sugar separately and mix it together
2. Heat ghee in a kadai and add the mixture
3. Roast them in ghee till you get a nice aroma
4. Pour milk and stir the mixture well
5. Grease a plate with ghee
6. When the mixture is warm, make small balls
7. Garnish with copra pieces on top of it

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TomatoChappati

Tomato Chappati:

I came to know that Anu is hosting an event called LGSS-Tomato between 5th Nov to 5th Dec 2011. This LGSS series was started by Vatsala in June 2011. Checked out my dining table, luckily found Tomato gojju and added it along with Chappati.

Ingredients:

• Atta or Wheat flour – 250 gms
• Ghee – 2 tsp
• Oil – 4 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Water to make Chappati dough
• Tomato gojju – 4 tbsp

Method:

1. Take atta in a bowl, add ghee, 2 tbsp oil, salt and mix them well along with water to make a dough
2. Add oil as and when you mix the dough well so that the dough would be soft enough (you can use milk or curds to get more softness)
3. Make small balls and roll them using rolling pin to a circle size and apply oil and tomato gojju on them, spread it across the circle
4. Fold the sides twice so that a triangle is formed
5. Press the triangle so that the dough is equally spread to make chappatis
6. Put the chappati on tawa or frying pan
7. After it’s roasted on first side, turn it to the other side and spread oil on first side
8. Turn it again and spread oil on second side, roast it
9. Serve tomato chappati with curds

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TomatoGojju

Tomato Gojju:

My mom-in-law, Vani says gojju will save our time and will remain handy for days together if it is cooked properly. Reason behind is, it can be had as a side dish or with rice when you have less time to cook.

Ingredients:

For grinding:

• Ripped tomatoes – 6 nos
• Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds – 1 tsp

For cooking:

• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Chilli Powder – 2 tsp (according to your taste)
• Salt to taste
• Grinded tomato juice

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai
2. Add mustard seeds and wait till it splutters
3. Add curry leaves, salt and chilli powder
4. Add grinded tomato juice and keep stirring occasionally
5. Tomato juice starts becoming thick and the oil would come out from sides
6. Garnish cilantro on the top of the juice and remove it from the stove

NOTE: Store it in porcelain dish so that it lasts longer.

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Pesarathu

A famous Andhra breakfast recipe is Pesarathu. It’s made up of green gram dhal and it looks more or less like dosa. This is a slighter different version from my partner Saraswathi's blog.

Ingredients:

• Green Gram Dhal – 500 gms
• Green chillies – 6 nos
• Onion – 3 nos
• Coriander leaves – ¼ bunch
• Water (as required)
• Rice flour – ¼ gms

Method:

1. Soak green gram dhal overnight almost about 8 to 10 hours
2. Next day morning add green gram dhal, chillies, coriander leaves and grind it either in the food processor or in mixer with little water. Batter should be same as dosa
3. Chop onions into small pieces using the chopper or knife
4. Add salt and rice flour to the batter and mix well
5. Heat the dosa pan in a medium flame
6. Add little oil and spread it across the dosa pan
7. Pour the pesaratu batter on the pan
8. Spread it across
9. When the first side is roasted turn it the other side till it gets roasted well
10. Serve it hot with any chutney

For a special taste, garnish onion and coriander leaves on them.

In Andhra they serve this with upma or upittu. This post is sent to Blog Hop Wednesday started by Radhika.


Logo of her contest is as displayed in the side:

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MasalaPapad

After a week full of hectic work schedule at office I am free on weekends. Thanks to all my bloggers whom I follow, because of them I have learnt to think how better my lunch table can be on Saturday.

Isn't it a cool and nice idea to add a hot "masala papad" along with rice, sambar, rasam and curds to make your winter day little hot. 

Radhika of tickling palatea, a fellow blogger has come up with a great theme called Winter Carnival between 1st Nov to 31st Dec 2011, for which I am herewith sending this post. Logo for this event is:

 

 Ingredients:

• Papad - 5 (one for each family member)
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Lemon - 1/2 slice
• Green Chillies - 1 (as per taste)
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves / Cilantro for garnishing

Method:

1. Cut onion into small pieces.
2. Cut tomato into small pieces
3. Chop green chillies
4. Heat little oil in kadai and add mustard seeds, wait till it splutters.
5. Add onion and fry them till they are golden brown
6. Add chillies and fry them for sometime
7. Add tomato and fry them for sometime
8. Sprinkle salt and mix the mixture well
9. Take hot papads (papads which are fried in oil) and add the mixture on them.
10. Garnish cilantro/coriander leaves on the masala papad
11. Squeeze lemon on them

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FruitSaladOats

Oats helps us in reducing cholestrol. Fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals. Then isn't a combination of these two along with milk is good for health? I would like to thank  my colleagues Davameena and Aditya for this wonderful dish.

This served me today as my light lunch.

Ingredients:

• Quaker Oats - 50gms
• Pineapple - 2 small pieces
• Papaya - 4 small pieces
• Musk Melon - 2 small pieces
• Banana - 1
• Sugar - 5 cubes 
• Milk - 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup

Method:

1. In hot milk add quaker oats and sugar cubes
2. Let the oats get cooked in oven for less than 2 minutes
3. Remove and add the abovesaid fruits
4. Keep it in oven for 30 seconds (if required add extra milk)

Thanks to Sara Food which gives information on different events. Through this I found an event called "Healthy Cooking Challenge" 

hosted by Kavi, author of Edible Entertainment  for November 2011 of where the theme is Healthy Cooking Challenge - Lunch. Initially the idea of Healthy Cooking Challenge was started by Smitha



Thanks to Events-n-Roundup which gave me info about 100-day-Global-Festival on SizzlingTastebuds by Kalyani.

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Sabbakivada

I was wondering what to prepare for snacks on Saturday afternoon for my children who would come home after their school with a holiday mood. I checked out and found Sabudan or Sabbaki and thought of doing Vada out of it.

I took them out, washed and rinsed for 4 hours in water. After 4 hours I was ready to prepare Sabbakivada or Sabudan vada.

Ingredients:

• Sabbaki - 500gms
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
• Onion - 4
• Green Chillies -8 nos. (it can be changed according to the spicy-ness u want)
• Salt to taste
• Baking Soda - 1 tsp
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Cut onion and green chillies into small pieces
2. Take the sabbaki mixture and add chopped onion and chillies, add salt and mix them.
3. Add baking soda and mix the mixture
4. Heat oil in kadai
5. Make small balls and add them into the oil
6. Leave the balls in the oil till they turn golden brown and turn it to the other side
7. Serve them hot with tomato ketchup

Uses: In Ayurvedic medicine, it is believed that sago porridge can be an effective and simple food to "cool and balance one's body heat" when taking strong medicine or antibiotics. - From Wikipedia.

This post is going to "Back to Roots!" contest going on in Archana's blog.

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Christmas_NewYearEve_2011

I am very delighted to see events happening in various blogs. More people are getting connected with each other due to these events, even from different cities, remote corners of the world. 

I feel its great to see the world come closer with friends through various things, here are few of them:

• Famous Social networking site viz., facebook or twitter 
• Blog
• Email
  

Christmas is nearing, most of us are becoming busy in practicing Carols, Sending invitation for Get-together, planning to go for a long picnic accompanying two or more families with your mobile kitchen. 

During this time, I am eager to held my second event called - "Christmas NewYearEve 2011" which would end by 31st December 2011. Recipe is Eggless Cake.  

Click here for first event.

Logo:

Slogan:
    Complete the slogan "I love eggless cake because ...". This prize is apart from recipe prize.


Rules:

• Please do send me any number of entries to the event.
• For a successful entry to the contest, each entry must include logo and it must be linked to this page. The format should be:

          Your Name

          Blog Name
          Recipe Name

          Recipe URL

          Recipe Picture         

• Non bloggers can also send me their recipe along with its photo and a subject line "Christmas_NewYearEve_2011 at Hema's Blog" to my email. 
• You can participate in slogan contest also which is as above said. Its not a mandatory.
• Afraid to say that, archived items are not allowed in my contest.
• Duration for my event is from 1st November 2011 to 31st December 2011.
• Kindly link to this event page and usage of logo is better as it spreads a word.

Prize is Microwave Bowl.

Recipe Prize winner and Slogan Prize Winner would be announced on 2nd January 2012.

Winner, kindly acknowledge within 3 days of the time with your complete postal address before it reaches the other participant.

Friends, kindly make this event a grand success. 

One more  news: You can send in your same cake entries now to Pari's event. Do check it out here.

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Diwali_Sweet_Savory

Diwali is a festival of lights. I remember the small story about this festival.

Story is as follows:

Once the SUN asked all the other sources of light, when I set, who would give the light to the world. Everyone was in immense silence, then a small diva light said in his low voice, i would be happy to give the light after you set. That's the reason, today we all lit small diva(s) in the night and early in the morning during Diwali and Karthika masam.

• As I was browsing thro' Saras food and events page I came across Anu's Contest for Diwali. Hence, I thought let me post my sweet and Savory and send.

Logo1:

 

• Through Google search page I came across Kirthi's Kitchen, which is also hosting Diwali contest, hence sending my recipe. Thanks to Della's Page also to host this event.

Logo2:


Besan Laddoo & Khara Boondi is my sweet and savory for this time Diwali.

Besan Laddoo:

Ingredients:

• Fried Gram - 250 g
• Sugar - 300 g
• Cashewnuts - 50 g
• Ghee for frying - 100 g
• Cardmom Powder - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Powder fried gram, sugar in food processor / mixer
2. Fry cashewnuts till golden brown and keep them aside
3. Heat ghee and add powdered mixture and cardmom powder, fry them till you get a nice aroma
4. Add cashewnuts also to the above mixture
5. If required add milk and make small balls

 25 to 30 balls can be made. Serves: 4 to 5.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Khara Boondi:

Ingredients:

• Corn Flour (Kadala maav / flour made from fried dhal) - 250 gms
• Salt - 4 tsp
• Chilli Powder - 2 tbsp
• Oil for frying - 100 gms

Method:

1. Heat oil in kadai
2. Mix corn flour, salt and chilli powder in a vessel using water. (The mixture should be medium neither thick nor thin)
3. Use the same vessel where you filter the extra oil when you do sweets or pooris and pour the mixture. Spread the mixture throughout, such that they fall from the small holes.
4. Remove the boondis once they are golden brown
5. Repeat step 3 and step 4 till you complete all the mixture (Salt and chilli powder will vary according to one's taste)
6. Once done, remove the oil
7. Add little oil and put curry leaves and mix it with boondis

Serves:  4 to 5

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 15 to 20 mins

Submitting to:  
Celebrations 2011 event on Tastebuds, which made me happy because I am revisiting my post, surprised by her event because it such a great event which made me to revisit my post. Yep, posting new things is only not important, revisiting them is a great thing. Thanks to Smitha.

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SugarSyrup

I used to think all the while, that this is really difficult, but thanks to my sister-in-law she showed me once with jaggery.

Sugar - as per the requirement to make the sweet

Water - 1/2 cup (small one)

Water to be added just to ensure that sugar doesn't get burnt off before it starts melting

1. Mix Sugar and Water and heat them in a kadai
2. Stir them occasionally
3. Check as and when the syrup has become thick (when you touch the syrup in hand a sticky thread should be formed)
4. Can add cardamom powder for taste

Once the thread is obtained, the syrup is ready for the sweet to be made.

Note: Instead of Sugar if Jaggery is used then Jaggery Syrup would be ready.

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CopraPak

I was delighted to cook Coprapak on this Sunday evening. Thanks to my mother-in-law to teach me how it should be made.

This post is sent to My Diwali My Way Event announced by Kushi.

Ingredients:

• Coconuts - 2 Nos
• Sugar - 750g
• Poppy Seeds - 2 tbsp
• Cashewnuts - 100 gms
• Ghee for frying - 2 tbsp
• Ghee for grease - 2 tsp (depending on the plate size)
• Cardamom powder (optional) - for taste - 2 tbsp
• Baking Soda (optional) - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Grate the coconut
2. Prepare the Sugar Syrup
3. Fry poppy seeds and keep it aside
4. Fry Cashewnuts and keep it aside
5. Once the sugar syrup is ready, add coconut, poppy seeds and cashewnuts and stir continuously till all of them mix well into sugar syrup and it becomes thicker
6. Grease a plate with ghee
7. Pour the mixture and leave it to cool for sometime
8. When the mixture is warm cut into desired shapes

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Tribute-to-jayasreeaval-BananaChips

Thanks to Jayashree aunt of Kailas Kitchen, her blog has got easy recipes too for an amateur like me. A tribute to her by this post.

I selected to make Banana Chips as it was easy and fast.

Banana Chips:

Ingredients:

Banana Chips

• 2 Bananas (used yelakka banana so it was sweet and hot)
• Oil for deep frying - 100 gms
• Salt - 2 tsp
• Chilli Powder - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai
2. Cut the bananas and keep it ready
3. Once the oil is ready, put the bananas and fry them till they turn golden brown
4. Take them into a bowl which has holes to drain the oil
5. Sprinkle salt and chilli powder and mix them well

Serves: 2 for snacks

Raw Banana should be used to get only hot taste.

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Khara Pova - An instant snack

Hot Pova – An instant snack

Ingredients:

• Pova (Beaten Rice) - 100 g
• Ghee - 4 tsps
• Groundnuts - fried - 25 g
• Fried Gram – 25 g
• Copra - 25 g
• Salt & Chilli Powder to taste

Method:

1. Heat 2 tsps ghee in a kadai
2. Put the thick Pova to ghee and fry for sometime
3. Thick Pova would turn crispy
4. Add fried groundnuts, fried gram, copra (cut into small pieces) and fry for sometime
5. Take out the mixture
6. Heat remaining ghee in the same kadai
7. Add salt and chilli powder and add the above mixture and mix well

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Sweet Pova - A delight Snack

Sweet Pova - A delight snack

Ingredients:

• Pova (Beaten Rice) - 100 g
• Jaggery
• Ghee - 2 tsps
• Groundnuts - fried - 25 g (Optional)
• Cashewnuts - fried - 25 g (Optional)
• Copra - 25 g (Optional)
• Dry Grapes - 25 g (Optional)
• Dry Fruits (Optional)

Method:

1. Heat the ghee in a kadai
2. Put the thick Pova to ghee and fry for sometime
3. Thick Pova would turn crispy
4. Add copra (cut into small pieces) and fry for sometime
5. After turning off the stove add groudnuts, cashewnuts, dry grapes and jaggery.
6. Mix the mixture well
7. Serve as a snack

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GunPowder (Sweet) Unde

GunPowder (Sweet) Unde:

GunPowder Unde

Instant Sweet which can be consumed as snack also.Its very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

• Fried Gram Dhal - 1 cup
• Jaggery - 1/2 cup
• Copra / Dry Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Milk (as required)

Method:

1. Grind fried gram dhal, jaggery and copra into powder
2. Add little milk and make small balls
3. Serve, relax and eat them

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FirstEvent-BSIOnion

Thanks for Michelle to give me an option to present this week's BSI ingredient. BSI stands for Blogger Secret Ingredient. This was started by Beth. 

Week #89 (2nd Aug to 8th Aug) BSI event is hosted by Debbi

This is a kind of Iron-Chef-style recipe challenge, where
a. Each week a new host picks an ingredient
b. Readers can submit a recipe.
c. The contest starts on a Monday, and recipes need to be submitted by Sunday night of that week.
d. Then the next day the host chooses a winner and picks someone to host new week's contest.

Jac keeps update of all events in her blog, and I guess I am late to host this event.

BSI Ingredient for Week #88 & Week #89 is Onion.

Onions are available thro' out the world in different colours. In India it is available in Red and White, but when I visited Paris in this April I was surprised to see green onion.

Send your recipes to me latest by July 31st 10pm at hemasrini dot 2007 at gmail dot com. You can either link to a blog post or send the entire recipe by an email - please send photos if you have got them.

NOTE: once you've sent your recipe, please post a comment on my blog, just to double-check that I received it. At this time, odds are pretty good for an entry to win!



The winner will receive "Aachi Chilli Powder" from India.

If you are considering hosting, please let me know in your email. Prizes are entirely the discretion of each week's host. Be forewarned - if you participate, I may send an email to hit you up to host next week's round (it's easy, and you'll meet and be viewed by all kinds of foodbloggers)


To recap -


Hosts:


Pick an ingredient, preferably one that is in season and readily available and not too expensive;


Link back to all the other previous weekly hosts;


Review the recipe submissions by Sunday night of each week;


Pick a recipe that is your favorite; and


Post the winner Monday morning and send the winner a token prize of your choosing.


Participants:



Do not have to have a food blog to participate


Do not have to submit a photograph


Can submit a recipe via email to that week's host if they don't have a blog - the host will post your recipe for you! 

Contribution follows:

Sweet Savoury Semolina - Akheela

 





Mulagu Varthu Puli - Abraham

Ulli Theeyal - Abraham

Saffron Marinated Paneer Cheese - Janet

BSI - Onion - Beth

Winner is Janet
 

Past blog hosts and their ingredients have been:

Week 88: Hema's Blog - Onion

Week 87: Quips, Travails, and Braised Oxtails - Black eye Peas


Week 86: Making Good Choices – Applesauce


Week 85: Non-Dairy Queen - Raspberries


Week 84: Healthy Exposures - Bulgar Wheat


Week 83: Clarity in Creation – Peaches


Week 82: Mo’s Kitchen - Rice


Week 81: Waisting Duxie - Swiss Chard


Week 80: Fuss Free Flavours - Capers


Week 79: Jenn Cuisine - Honey


Week 78: Living Free - Cashews


Week 77: Affairs of Living – Artichokes


Week 76: One Frugal Foodie - Sunflower Seeds


Week 75: Part of the Whole - Beets


Week 74: Dinner at Christina’s - Sour Cream


Week 73: The Chef in My Head - Goat Cheese


Week 72: 5 Star Foodie - Asparagus


Week 71: Eats Well With Others – Carrots


Week 70: Burp and Slurp - Brussel Sprouts


Week 69: Fun Fearless Foodie – Parmesan Cheese


Week: 68: Natalie’s Killer Cuisine - Cocoa Powder


Week 67: Eat, Live, Travel, Write - Lemon Zest


Week 66: Travel Eat Love - Coconut Milk


Week 65: Run Beans Run - Tofu


Week 64: Chicago Marathon Val - Mushrooms


Week 63: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Cheddar Cheese


Week 62: A Fit and Spicy Life – Balsamic Vinegar


Week 61: Peanut Butter Fingers - Nutmeg


Week 60: Jenn Eats Nutritiously Now - Garlic


Week 59: Home Cooked Em – Cinnamon


Week 58: The Balanced Broad – Flax


Week 57: Cookin Fanatic - Blue Cheese


Week 56: Foodie in the City - Ricotta Cheese


Week 55: Savvy Eats - Maple Syrup


Week 54: Sound Eats - Dried Fruit


Week 53: Mega Nerd Runs - Acorn Squash


Week 52: Healthy Tipping Point - Pancake Mix


Week 51: Live, Laugh Eat - Almond Butter


Week 50: Balance, Joy and Delicias! – Cauliflower


Week 49: Healthy San Diego Living - Chickpeas


Week 48: Thought 4 Food - Yogurt


Week 47: London Foodie in New York - Chocolate


Week 46: Johnstone’s Vin Blanc - Oats


Week 45: Guilty Kitchen - Figs


Week 44: Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet - Peanut Butter


Week 43: The Sophisticated Gourmet - Brown Sugar


Week 42: My Kitchen Addiction – Lime


Week 41: Nutmeg Nanny – Coffee


Week 40: Chaya’s Comfy Cook – Broccoli


Week 39: Healthy Delicious – Plums


Week 38: Zoe - Feta


Week 37: ChezWhat- Potatoes


Week 36: Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice – Blueberries


Week 35: Girlichef -Greens


Week 34: The Ungourmet – Watermelon


Week 33: Bread + Butter – Bell Pepper


Week 32: Burp and Slurp -Corn


Week 31: Say Yes to Salad – Kabocha


Week 31 1/2: Simply Fabulous Now – Cherries


Week 30: Thinspired – Bananas


Week 29: To Be The Whole Package – Almonds


Week 28: Kristas Kravings – Lemon


Week 27: From French Fries To Flax Seeds – Coconut


Week 26: Plentiful Plants – Avocado


Week 25: Training Fuel – Eggs


Week 24: Dinner at Christina’s – Cabbage


Week 23: Hey What’s for Dinner, Mom? – Strawberries


Week 22: One Bite at a Time – Basil


Week 21: Just Sweet Enough – Black Beans


Week 20: What I Ate Yesterday – Kale


Week 19: What’s for Dinner – Orange


Week 18: BranAppetit! –Spinach


Week 17: Tales of Expansion Dates


Week 16: Biggest Diabetic Loser – Zucchini


Week 15: Sweet & Natural –Peppermint


Week 14: bella eats [and runs] – Ginger


Week 13: Coffee Talk – Walnuts


Week 12: For the Love of Oats – Pumpkin


Week 11: Trying to Heal – Sweet Potatoes


Week 10: The Inner Workings of a College Graduate – Eggplant


Week 9: Itzy’s Kitchen – Pears


Week 8: The Fitnessista – Cranberries


Week 7: Tri to Cook – Lentils


Week 6: Rhodey Girl Tests – Polenta


Week 5: Eating Bender – Butternut Squash


Week 4: Care to Eat – Apples


Week 3: On a Lobster Placemat – Mushrooms


Week 2: Hangry Pants – Tomatoes


Week 1: sportsnutritionliving – Quinoa 

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Banana Smoothie

Sunday, June 20th was my father-in-law's birthday. I don't know to make sweets and was not interested in making same Kheer, so thought of making this dish. Today, I searched names to name this dish. 

Ingredients:
a. Banana - 5
b. Sugar - 6 tsp
c. Milk - 4 tbsp
d. Cashewnut - 4
e. Kismis - 4
f. Badam - 4
g. Ghee - 4 tsp

Method:
a. Chop banana, add sugar, milk and blend the mixture
b. Slice cashewnut and badam
c. Heat the ghee and add sliced cashewnut, badam, kismis

Serve to eat.

Serves: 2 to 3 people.

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Aloo Pudina Bhat

Its been since a long time from the time I last posted. Hence thought of writing this post.

I had some pudina leaves left over in my refrigerator. I thought of making normal pudina chutney and to mix it with cooked rice today morning for breakfast. My husband gave a good suggestion to mix with aloo and to make it as aloo pudina bhat. Taste was yummy.

Ingredients:
Pudina (mint leaves) - 1 bunch
Green Chillies - 6 (add more if it should be more spicy)
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves - few
Ginger - 1 small piece
Aloo - 3
Oil - 1 tbsp for frying
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - few
Cooked Rice - 1/2 kg

Method:
a. Blend pudina, green chillies, coriander leaves, ginger and salt and make it as chutney
b. Cut aloo into small pieces and wash them
c. Heat oil and add mustard seeds wait for it to crack
d. Add curry leaves and salt
e. Put aloo and fry them till it becomes soft
f. Add pudina chutney to the mixture and mix them well
g. Add coriander leaves on top
h. Mix cooked rice with aloo-pudina gravy

Serve: 4 to 5 people

This post is going to BSI Contest hosted by Moi.

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Gojju Powder

Gojju is a kind of dish prepared to add either with indian breads like chappattis, rotis or with rice.

Gojju can be made up of any vegetable viz., Lady's finger, Brinjal, Onion, Tomato, Onion with tomato.

Gojju Powder is a powder which needs to be added for spicing the gojju. It can be stored like sambar powder, or rasam powder.
Ingredients:
Urad Dhal - 1 cup
Gram Dhal - 1 cup
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Red Chillies - 1 1/4 cup (more or less based on the hot/khara u want)

Method:
Fry each of the ingredient separately till it changes its color (but not to black :) which is over fried).
Blend the ingredients

Onion Gojju:
Heat 4 tsps of oil
Add 1 tsp of mustard and wait till it splutters
Add 1 tsp of urad dhal, 1 tsp of gram dhal and wait till it turns its color
Add few curry leaves
Add Salt
Add onion and fry it till it changes its color to light brown
Add little tamarind water and a glass of normal water and allow the mixture to boil
Finally add gojju powder

Thus, the onion gojju is ready.

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Pongal - New Year

Every year Pongal is celebrated on 13th, 14th and 15th of January. It is also considered as a New Year for Tamilians (especially for harvesting group).

The people would take out the paddy crops and make it as rice.

13-Jan is celebrated as Bhoogi Pongal.

• In Andhra, people collect almost all waste materials from their entire area and burn all of them. They call that as "Bhoogimantalu".

14-Jan is celebrated as Surya Pongal.

• People get up early in the morning prepare different dishes. Draw Surya(sun) and Chandra(Moon) and keep all the dishes for naivediya for god including sugarcane in banana leaves.
• Andhrites and Kannadigas mix groundnut seeds, til, hurigadale(roasted gram), small pieces of chopra, small pieces of jaggery and share with their relatives and friends saying "Yelu Bella tindu ole matadu" means "eat til and jaggery and speak good things".

15-Jan is celebrated as Mathu Pongal.

• Non-vegetarian people will avoid eating non-veg on 13th and 14th will prepare different non-vegetarian dishes on this day.
• In the evening, farmers decorate their cows, buffaloes, oxen, bulls and make them to jump across the fire by thanking God to give them good crop. And praying for the same till the next year.

Andhrites and Kannadigas call this festival as Makara Sankranthi, while Tamilians call this festival as Pongal.

I thank Saras to post on Pongal.

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