Fingermillet Cashew Cookies

   




Christmas – the festival of the birth of the Jesus.  Christmas  is not a time nor a season , but a state of mind . To cherish peace and goodwill , to be plenteous in mercy , is to have the real spirit of christmas.

                                

  

This was another healthy and delicious cookies . It is made with the fingermillet flour which is rich in calcium. This is good for pregnant ladies………..

Ingredients :                            

 Finger millet flour – 1 ½ cup

Powdered sugar – ½ cup

Chopped cashew – ½ cup

Butter – 2 tbs

Baking powder – ¼ tsp

Cocoa powder – 1 tbs

Milk – as required

Method :

In a bowl mix the butter and sugar well.

To this add the baking powder and mix well.

Now , add the cocoa powder , flour and chopped cashew and mix well.

Sprinkle milk and make into a smooth dough.

Preheat the oven to 220 * C .

Shape the cookies and arrange in the baking tray and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Let it cool and store in airtight containers.

Finger millet cashew cookies is ready to serve.

Chocolate chip Raisin Oaties

          Christmas season had come. Every where there are sounds of the festival .  I was late to join in the celebration. So to begin , I came up with a healthy and delicious bite cookies. celebrations . 

 Christmas is a time with lots of celebration with especially cookies , cakes and pasteries. For more cookies recipe , check here.

  This was a simply healthy and easy to make cookies. This was an excellent cookie to be served for pregnant ladies , as this is healthy and less in calorie.

Ingredients :

Butter – 115 g

Light brown sugar  – 115 g 

Milk – ¼ cup

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Raisin – 1 tbs

Chocolate chips – 150 g

Rolled oats – 100g

Method :

In a bowl , mix butter and brown sugar well.

To and raisins and mix together.

Now , add the oats and vanilla extract , mix well.

It will be like crumble , so add little milk at a time and try to make shapes.

Make into small rounds and press flat with care , as it breaks easily.

Preheat the oven to 220 * C and bake for 15 minutesthis add the chocolate

chip.

Let it cool and store in air tight boxes.

Delicious eggless chocolate chip raisin oaties is ready to serve.

Note :

 If you want to add egg to this cookies  means add a whole egg to the butter sugar mixture and mix well or beat separately and add .

Aloo Mattar Masala / Potato and Peas masala

 This was simple and easy to make gravy. There is no spice is used to make this gravy yet it was tasty. It goes well with roti / rice/ pulov.

 As I had already posted Aloo Mattar , it tastes different from the previous one.

 As there is no other spice used in making this gravy , it is suitable for young childrens too………

Requirements :

Green peas – 2 cup

Potato – 2 large

Onion – 1 large

Garlic – 5 cloves

Ginger -1’’ piece

Oil – 2 tbs

Red chilly – 6 – 7

Coriander seeds – 1 tbs

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt as required

Grated coconut – ¾ cup

Tomato – 2

Curry leaves

Method :

If using dry peas soak it the day before.

Masala :

Heat a spoon of oil , add the red chilles , ginger , garlic , coriander seeds , half of the chopped onion , few curry leaves and sauté well. 

Let it cool and grind into a smooth paste.
Gravy :

Chop the potatoes into cubes. I usually use with the skin itself.

Heat the remaining oil; add the chopped tomato and sauté well.

Add in the chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the green peas and potato cubes , sauté well.

Now , add the grounded masala , turmeric powder and required salt. Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add about 2 cups of water and cook in medium flame with closed lid till the vegetables are cooked.

Cook till the potatoes are cooked and the gravy thickens.

Aloo matter gravy is ready to serve.

We had it with Beet stuff green paratha.

Muttai dosa / Egg with crushed pepper

 This was the omelette or dosa during our childhood days. It is simple and easy to make recipe with egg. It needs only few ingredients. It is my favorite of all egg recipes.

 As we are using pepper powder, it is good to young children  It is easy to make within minutes. Me and my sister call it as muttai dosa , so named the recipe so.

Requirements :

Egg – 1

Oil – 1 tsp

Pepper powder – 1 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Method :

Heat a griddle, reduce to medium flame.

Add  half teaspoon of oil and spread it fully on the griddle/ tava.

Crackle the egg and add on the hot griddle.

Add the remaining oil , surrounding the egg.

Sprinkle the pepper powder and salt.

Let it cook, flip to other side and cook on both sides.

Muttai dosai is ready to serve.

I will have it as it is.
It can also be served along with rasam rice  or with any non vegetarian gravies.

Note :

If you want to have half boiled egg , don't turn over to other side.

Curry leaves Rice / Karuvepillai podi sadham

   

  This is easy to make rice with the curry leaves spice powder. We usually have any podi / spice powder / gunpowder to have with rice or idli and dosa. Mostly we have lentil spice powder and some times curry leaves powder.

  Curry leaf is common herb used in south Indian cooking . Mostly all the homes in south India will have their own curry leaf plant. We do have our own in our garden , so no need of buying in shop.

  This curry leaf has excellent nutritive value . The curry leaf tree is a tropical to subtropical tree , which is native to India. This leaf is known as Karuvepillai in Tamil , while it also called as sweet neem leaves.

 This leaves is aromatic , which gives a unique flavor to the south Indian dishes.curry leaves has many medicinal benefits . it stimulates digestive enzymes . Helps in improving eyesight , good for hair growth and rich in iron.

 This rice can be prepared in a jiffy when we have the curry leaf powder in hand.

Requirement :

Cooked rice – 2 cup

Sesame Oil – 1 tbs

Onion – 1

mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Salt as required

For curry leaf powder :

Curry leaves – a handful

Urad dhal - 1 tbs

Channa dhal – 1 tbs

Dry chilli – 3 ( or ) 4

Cumin seeds – 1/8 tsp

Pepper corns – 6

Method :

Dry roast the curry leaves in a pan and keep aside.

In the same pan , dry roast the urad dhal , channa dhal , red chillies , cumin , pepper .

Grind all together to a fine powder.

Heat oil in a pan , add the mustard seeds and let it crackle.

Add  the chopped onion and sauté till it turns transparent.

Add the cooked rice and sauté for a minute.

Add the grounded curry leaf powder and required salt. Stir well for five minutes.

Take off from flame and serve.

Curry leaves rice is ready to serve.

Serve with chips or fryums.

Note :

I had used sesame oil for tempering , any vegetable oil can be used.

onion can be avoided in this rice.

Malai kofta / Spicy Vegetable Balls in creamy gravy

 Malai kofta is a well known mughal dish which is best combo with ghee rice, jeera rice and coconut rice. This gravy is rich gravy which can be served with roti / phulkha.

 This dish is a spicy gravy of Indian cottage cheese dumpling in rich creamy sauce. 

  This gravy is a popular dish in many restaurant menus. Everyone will fall for its flavor and taste.

 This post was in my draft for more than one and half years. I didn’t made again , will update photo soon.

 This picture was taken long before , so it won’t be clear.

Requirements:

Koftas :

Potatoes - 4 - 5

Green chillies, finely chopped - 2

Grated Panner (cottage cheese) – 200 g

Carrot & Peas (Boiled) – 1 cup

Cornflour/ corn starch - ¼ cup

Golden Raisins + Chopped Cashew – ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Oil for Deep Fry

 Gravy:

 Onions, - 3

 Tomato puree – 1 cup

Paneer grated – ¼ cup

 Ginger paste – 1 tbs

 Garlic Paste – 1 tbs

Green Chillies - 2 finely chopped

Coriander powder – 1 ½ tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Aniseeds  – 1 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Fresh Cream - ½ cup

Milk – 1 cup or more

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tbs

Method:

  Boil the potatoes, cool, peel and grate them. 

  Grate paneer or crumble with hand. 

 Wash all green chillies, deseed and chop them fine. 

  Peel carrots, grate them, and add peas and some water, boil them in microwave for 10 mins.

 Peel onions, cut them into halves and boil with a cup of water for ten minutes. Drain excess water, cool onions and grind them into a smooth paste. Set Aside. This onion paste gives a unique taste and texture to the gravy.

 In a bowl, mix mashed potatoes, paneer, some chopped green chillies, boiled carrot-peas, corn flour and salt. Mix well. Divide into 20-22 equal sized balls. Stuff them with raisins & cashew in the centre.

Deep fry them in hot oil until slightly golden brown. Drain and keep aside. Fry one kofta and check for binding, if it breaks, add a little more cornflour. Deep fry the koftas in hot oil. It can also be baked in a 220* C pre-heat oven, by arranging & spraying oil on these koftas placing them on the baking tray for 10 mins.

 On the other side heat oil in a kadai, add fennel, boiled onion paste and cook for five minutes. Add ginger & garlic paste, few chopped green chillies, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Cook for a minute.

 Add tomato puree and red chilli powder and cook on medium flame untill oil separates on top from gravy. 

 Add milk along with some water & bring it to a boil and simmer for ten minutes on a slow flame. Stir occasionally. 

 Stir in fresh cream and garam masala powder. 

 Gently put all of these kofta's in the gravy when ready to serve. Simmer for another 2 mins .

 Sprinkle the grated panner , chopped nuts on top ( optional ) .

  Enjoy this rich, creamy gravy with Nan/Roti (Indian Flat Bread.)

We had it with Jeera rice.

Note :

Reserve some koftas to add just before serving. It will be crunchy.

Gravy and raw koftas can be made a day before.

Kongunadu recipes – Rendez Vous with a Foodie

  

    Kongunadu recipes for Rendez Vous with a foodie . It was the guest post series started by Priya akka of Priya’s Versatile Recipes.

                     

Being from the kongu region , I want to post kongu recipes for this guest post. Hope some of you know about the cuisine. Here is a short introduction…….

  Kongunadu cuisine is the cuisine of the kongu region of the Tamil nadu. Kongu region covers salem , nammakal , erode , Coimbatore , Tiruppur , pollachi and 30 more places of tamilnadu. In olden days , most of the people in the region are farmers doing agriculture as our region is well fertile and well irrigated.

 Nowadays along with farming , other like textile mills , automobile industries , educational institutions and so on…..

 Cuisine of the region usually made with the farming products get from their own land like mostly uses coconut, country vegetables like Ridge gourd, brinjal, bottlegourd, snake gourd, legumes and pulses, poultry, lamb and so on.

 I had posted few of the recipes in my blog. Check here….

  The recipes which I had posted are

    Kachayam

   Pachaipayaru sadham

    Ragi Pakoda

Kachayam – a crunchy sweet snack made with the batter of maida , sugar , banana and cardamom powder , deep fried in oil. This was a signature recipe of kongu cuisine.

Pachaipayaru sadham – a rice preparation made with rice , whole moong dhal / green gram dhal and some spices. It will be a excellent one pot meal , specific to our region.

Ragi pakoda – crispy pakoda made with the batter made of finger millet flour , onion , green chillies , curry leaves and drumstick leaves. Adding drumstick leaves to the pakodas are unique to our region.

Check her space for the full recipes………