My Kitchen Wonders: Badam Kheer With Palm Sugar (Non Fattening)

My Kitchen Wonders: Badam Kheer With Palm Sugar (Non Fattening): INGREDIENTS:Serves 3 to 4 Whole Milk - 500ml Almonds - 15 pieces to 20 pieces Cardomom - 4 or 5 pods Saffron Strands - 5 or 6 Pa...

Badam Kheer With Palm Sugar (Non Fattening)

INGREDIENTS:Serves 3 to 4

1. Whole Milk - 500ml
2. Almonds - 15 pieces to 20 pieces
3. Cardomom - 4 or 5 pods
4. Saffron Strands - 5 or 6
5. Palm Sugar(Panam kalkandu) - 1/4 cup 

METHOD:

1. Soak Almonds in hot water and peel the skin.
2. Take half of the almonds and cut finely for garnishing.
3. Take the remaining almonds and grind finely with cardomom,and palm sugar along with little milk.
4. Now add this with the whole milk and add 2 or 3 saffron strands and allow the mixture to boil well.
5. Once the milk is boiled you can garnish with the cut almonds and saffron strands and serve.
6. If you like cardomom flavour, you can increase the amount of cardomom and it will taste like cardomom flavoured milk when chilled.
7. This can be served hot or cold. Also,you can garnish with Pistachios if you like.

My Kitchen Wonders: Jeera Aloo(Potato with Cumin Seeds)

My Kitchen Wonders: Jeera Aloo(Potato with Cumin Seeds): INGREDIENTS:(Serves 3 to4 ) Potatoes - 5 medium sized(Cut them in cubes) Onions - 2 Finely cut Jeera seeds - 3 to 4 teaspoons Salt...

Jeera Aloo(Potato with Cumin Seeds)

INGREDIENTS:(Serves 3 to4 )

1. Potatoes - 5 medium sized(Cut them in cubes)
2. Onions - 2 Finely cut
3. Jeera seeds - 3 to 4 teaspoons
4. Salt - to taste
5. Coriander leaves,curry leaves - for seasoning
6. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon(Increase if you want it spicy)
7. Garam masala - 1 teaspoon(I used Everest Sabji Masala)
8. Turmeric powder -1/4 teaspoon
9. Oil - For seasoning
10. Mustard seeds - For seasoning
11. Kasuri methi - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Take a heavy bottomed pan and add oil.
2. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and add the jeera seeds and curry leaves.
3. Add the onions and after 2 minutes add the cut potatoes.
4. Add the turmeric powder,salt,chilli powder and sprinkly little water and close the lid.
5. Keep the flame low and stir occasionally.
6. Once the mixture gets cooked well add the garam masala and coriander leaves and Serve!

NOTE: You can skip the onions and garam masala if you want to eat this during fasting or festival days.Adding fresh methi leaves makes this Aloo methi :)

My Kitchen Wonders: Peas & Aloo Pulao(Pulav)

My Kitchen Wonders: Peas & Aloo Pulao(Pulav): INGREDIENTS: Serves 3 to 4 Basmati Rice - 250g Green Peas(Fresh or Frozen) - 1 cup Aloo/Potato - 2 medium sized  Saunf(Fennel Seed...

Peas & Aloo Pulao(Pulav)

INGREDIENTS: Serves 3 to 4

1. Basmati Rice - 250g
2. Green Peas(Fresh or Frozen) - 1 cup
3. Aloo/Potato - 2 medium sized 
4. Saunf(Fennel Seeds)/Sombu - 1 teaspoon
5. Jeera seeds - 1 teaspoon
6. Biriyani Leaf - 1
7. Clove-2 pieces
8. Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
9. Elachi - 1 piece
10. White Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Lemon - 1 
12. Salt - to taste
13. Oil - 3 to 4 teaspoons 
14. Coriander leaves - for tempering.
15. Onion - 2 medium sized

METHOD:

1. Soak the basmati rice for more than 15 minutes.
2. Take a deep bottomed vessel and add the oil.
3. Add the items in step 4,5,6,7,8,9.
4. Add onion and after 2 minutes of frying, add peas and potato.Add the salt required,white pepper powder.
5. After 5 minutes we are ready to add the rice.Drain the rice and add to the vessel.The ratio of rice:water is 1:2.We have taken 250grams of rice, so 500ml of water should be fine.
6. Measure the water and add to the vessel.Add the lemon juice and mix well.
7. Now cover the vessel with a lid and keep the flame in low or medium.
8. After 15 minutes you can check and mix once.Then close the lid.
9. Keep in low flame now if it was medium earlier.After 15 minutes you can see the rice is ready when the lid is open.Cut the coriander leaves finely and add to the rice and Serve hot with Raitha.

NOTE: You can skip potato if needed. Adding more vegetables like carrot/Beans/Broccoli/Cauliflower makes it vegetable pulav.

Vegetable or Kalyana Gotsu/Gothsu/Kothsu(Side dish for Idly/Dosa/Pongal)

INGREDIENTS:(Serves 4 to 5)

1. Mix Vegetables - Carrot,Potato,Peas,sweet potato - Any 2 or 3 veggies - 2 cups
2. Onions - 2 big sized finely cut
3. Mustard seeds,Urad dhal,Curry leaves,Bengal gram dhal,Oil,asafoetida powder(1/4 teaspoon) or cube(1 small cube) - For seasoning
4. Moong Dhal - 1.5 cups
5. Tamarind - 1 gooseberry sized ball
6. Bengal Gram dhal - 1/2 cup 
7. Dhaniya/Coriander Seeds - 1/2 cup
8. Salt - To Taste
9. Sambhar powder - 2 teaspoons
10. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Pressure cook the dhal and mash it and keep aside.
2. Take a deep bottomed vessel. Add 4 to 5 teaspoons of Oil and allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
3. Add the items in step 3 for seasoning.Add the onions and once they are half fried add the mix vegetables.
4. Fry for 5 to 10 mins and add 2 cups of water. Add salt,sambhar powder,turmeric powder and allow the mixture to cook well.
5. Dry roast the bengal gram dhal and Coriander seeds and grind well in mixie.
6. Once the vegetables get cooked well add the mashed moong dhal and add the powder made in step 5.
7. Add little water and keep stirring until you get the desired consistency and Serve!
8. This kothsu tastes best when gingelly oil is added to it.Add it on your plate and Enjoy!

Capsicum Raitha(Kodaimilagai Patchadi)

INGREDIENTS: Serves 2 to 3.

1. Green Capsicum - 1 big finely chopped
2. Mustard seeds, Urad dhal,Coriander leaves,asafoetida powder - For seasoning
3. Oil - 2 teaspoons
4. Salt - to Taste
5. Curd - about 200ml

METHOD:

1. Take a frying pan, add the oil and allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
2. Add the urad dhal,coriander leaves,asafoetida powder.Add the finely chopped capsicum and add rock salt or fine salt.
3. Once the capsicum is fried well,remove from flame.
4. Add curd and little water and mix well until you get the capsicum patchadi consistency and serve.