Mixed Dried Nuts Halwa/Badam Milk Powder

I went on making Badam(Almond) Powder mix for Badami Haalu/Badam Milk & on the road of discovery a delicious halwa was made. Both Milk(hot & cold) & halwa tasted wonderful. I made the powder twice on popular demand at home. Here is the recipe ...

Ingredients:

Badami/Almonds - 2 cups
Cashewnuts - 1 cup
Pista - 1 cup
Nutmeg Powder - 1tsp
Saffron strands - 15
Color- saffron color a big pinch
Edited to add : Cardamom Powder : 1/2tbsp

Toast all nuts over stove top pan/oven/microwave whichever way is convenient to you. They should be crunchy to eat once they cool down. Let them be at Room Temperature when you begin the process of powdering.
Take all the ingredients with toasted nuts and pulse them in mixer/blender/...
The end product should be granular.
Heat up a thick pan and spread the mix over it and switch off the stove. Keep stirring in 2 mins interval in this way the excess oil that oozed out during pulsing will dry and the fragrance is still retained. Cool to room temperature and store in a airtight container.



Add 1tbsp of this powder to 200ml of hot milk with sugar and serve ..or chill the milk and pulse it in a blender so that the powder and milk are mixed well and serve.

This is not a good picture but still sharing it to show how it may look:



Color in the rim is because of the saffron which released it's color when I left it for a while....

Mixed Dried Nuts Halwa :

Dried Nuts Powder : 5tbsp
Whole Milk : 1/2litre
Sugar: 5tbsp (or as per your taste)
Ghee: 1tbsp

Heat milk in a thick bottomed pan and let it boil and reduce to half. Keep stiring in between..
When milk has condensed to half of the original quantity add dried nuts powder and condense further untill it starts thickening.
Add sugar and ghee and keep stirring till sugar dissolves and the halwa thickens. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool... Serve at room temperature..
Halwa was made for Sai Prasadam so you can see few flower petals on it..

Sprouted Chana Usli/Molake Kadalekaalu Usli

Kadalekaalu usli makes a good snack in the evenings or a good accompaniment with chapathi. You don't have to use sprouted kadalekaalu/chana always. Soaked/fresh chana can be used to prepare this dish. I had sprouted chana with me and I have used it.

Prep-Work:
Soak kadalekaalu/chana for 8 hrs
Pressure cook kadalekaalu/chana for 3 whistles with little salt.

Ingredients:
Cooked kadalekaalu/chana-2cups (drain water from chana before adding it into the pan)
Onion-1 big (peeled, washed and chopped into fine pieces)
Green Chillies-1 (chopped into circles)
Curry leaves-2-3 leaves
Coriander Leaves-2-3 tsp (chopped)
Fresh grated coconut-1tbsp
oil-1/2tbsp
sasive/mustard seeds-1/2tsp
uddinabele/uraddal-1/2tsp
salt

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when it stops crackling add uddinabele/uraddal and let it brown.
Add curry leaves, chopped greenchillies, chopped onions and stir. Fry onions till they are soft. Cook on medium heat.
Add cooked chana, coriander leaves, grated coconut and little salt and give a good stir. Switch off the stove and cover the pan and leave it aside for 4-5mins. Stirr and serve hot.



Chilli I used in the dish is from my little garden




How sad..GYO takes one entry per blog..I wanted to send this too..

Huli Uppittu/Sour Upma

This is a good variation to normal vegetable upma. Also it can be made quickly with less ingredients, so it is always on my menu for breakfast. Try it sometimes.

You need the following :

Uppittu Rave/Semolina/cream of wheat - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 2
Onion-1 small
Curry leaves - from 1 line
Oil - 2tbsp (I know it is more but uppittu always tastes good with little more oil)
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Kadalebele/Chanadal - 1tsp
Uddinabele/Uraddal - 1tsp
Saarinapudi/Rasam Powder - 2tsp
Tamarind Juice - 3tbsp (or according to the sourness levels u want)
Salt
Water 4cups

How to make it :
1.Dry roast creamofwheat/semolina in a thick bottomed pan till you get nice aroma of Semolina. At this stage Rava would have started turning brown. Switch off the gas and transfer the Semolina to a plate.
2.Heat oil in a kadhai/shallow pan/any vessel to make upma.
3.Add mustard seeds when oil is hot. Let it crackle, add Chanadal and fry till it is golden brown, add urad dal and let it brown too.
4.Add chillies, onions and sautee , fry it till onion becomes little brown. Add salt and give a nice stir.
5.Add 4 cups of water and bring it to boil. When water is boiling add tamarind paste and RasamPowder. Taste the water and adjust flavors accordingly.
6.Reduce the flame and start adding rava. Keeping stirring while you add Semolina little at a time. Cover and cook for next 2 mins. Switch off the gas and let it rest for next 5-8mins. Garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves if you have it on hand. Enjoy it hot!

Use any vegetable to make this upma however simply chillies and onions also work well.

Kadalekaalu Chitranna/Sprouted Green Chana Rice

Perhaps Chitranna, Uppittu, Avalakki are few items which I bet would not say 'no' when you are in a foreign land. Back home these are made on daily basis that say the name of uppittu........"plzzz amma don't give me concrete (we call uppittu as concrete.. ;D) to eat early in the morning"..this was my standard answer when I was a child. I have thrown enough tantrums for eating repetitive stuff ;) like this. To make chitranna/lemon rice more interesting I add few items and give it a bit of face lift. Atleast it does not sound the same old figure rice (Chitra=Figure Anna=Rice..translated from Kannada to English) Priyanka liked it as much as we like it so this is for you Priyanka.....



You need the following to make Kadalekaalu Chitranna/Chana rice :
Sprouted Chana : 1 small cup about 2 fistfuls (cooked)
Onion : 1 medium sized (peeled, washed and chopped length wise)
Green Chillies : 5 (washed, wiped and cut lengthwise)
Cooked Rice : 4 cups

Tampering :
Oil: 4tbsp
Kadalebele/Chanadal : 1tsp
Uddinabele/Uraddal: 1tsp
Curry Leaves : 1 line
Turmeric powder : 2 pinch

Seasoning : Salt, and Lemon juice from 1 lemon

Garnishing : chopped coriander, grated fresh coconut (optional)

Wash and soak green chana/brown chana (green chickpea/brown chickpea) overnight. Next morning, remove water and transfer it to a airtight container. Keep it aside in a dark place for next 24hrs and you have sprouted chickpea..if you don't see sprouts at 24hrs..you probably have give it another 12 hrs time. Here it is :



Procedure:
Pressure cook rice and let it cool. Rice grains should fall apart for this type of rice preparation. I keep a plate/bowl over the rice bowl and place chana in it. Chana gets pressure cooked with rice. Remove excess water from Chana. (Note: I do not add water to chana bowl when I place it inside the cooker).

In a wide non stick pan heat oil. When it is hot add mustard seeds and let it splutter. When it has stopped crackeling add Chanadal and let it brown and the add urad dal let it brown too. Now throw in green chillies and chopped onions. Add turmeric powder and give a nice stir. Fry onions till they turn transclusent and soft. Add salt & cooked chana, mix and switch off the gas.

Add cooked rice to the tampered mix and mix it well. Season with lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot!

My way of enjoying Chana Rice :




This goes to Grow Your Own event hosted by Jai and Bee..I hope it qualifies ;) GYO event was started by talented Andrea of Andrea's Recipes

Mix Vegetable Huli/Mix Vegetables in Lentil Sauce

Huli in Kannada translates to 'Sour' in it's literal meaning. Sambar which is popular worldwide is Kannadiga's Huli. I am not sure about differences between Sambar and Huli as I consider both at par with each other. A wonderful medley of vegetables with split pigeon peas and hot rice....aaah hungry stomach needs nothing more.........and with some yogurt..it is a feast ;) Huli is part of everyday lunch/dinner menu. You can prepare some saarina pudi and with few more additional ingredients your huli is ready. Here you go with the recipe :

You need the following to make Huli :

Vegetables any of these available at home. Mix and match.
Toamto, Carrot, Potato, French Beans, Onions, Chaoyate, Brinjals, Drumstick, Spinach, ...list continues..

For a cup of Pigeon peas/Togaribele/Toordal and 2 cups of vegetables cooked you need following additional ingredients other than Saarina Pudi/RasamPowder.

Dry Roast the following on a hot pan :

Uddinabele/Urad dal -1tsp
Kadalebele/Chana dal-1tsp

additional raw ingredient to grind
Onion : 1" piece (raw)(optional)
Fresh grated coconut : 3tbsp
Saarina Pudi/rasam powder : 2tbsp (or according to the hotness levels)
tamarind paste : 1.5tbsp (adjust according to sour levels required)

Tampering :
Ghee/Oil, Mustard, Curry Leaves, red chillies - 1, hing

Procedure:

1. Pressure cook vegetables, pigeon peas/togaribele/toordal with a pinch of turmeric, 2-3 curry leaves and a tsp of oil for 3 whistles.
2. Dry roast urdadal/uddinabele & Kadalebele/Chana dal on a hot pan and powder it. To it add raw onion, saarina pudi/rasam powder and fresh grated coconut and grind to form a paste using little water.
3. Add the saarina pudi/rasam powder paste to cooked dal and vegetables. Add salt and bring it boil. Kannadiga type huli calls for a little(1/2 tsp-1tsp) jaggery at this point. This is optional.
4. Tamper using ghee/oil and add it to boiling huli. Let huli boil for 2-3mins. Switch of the gas and let it stand for 15mins before you serve with hot rice.

A bowlful of huli for you......

Puffed Rice Brittles

Puffed Rice Brittles/Puri unde/...call them anything .....they add a good crunch while you eat. It is easy to make and what else can a mom like me wants? when I always on look for simple to make snacks for my kiddo! The total time taken to make is about 15 minutes if you have all the ingredients at home. Here you go with the recipe..


You need the following :
Puffed Rice
Grated jaggery
roasted sesame seeds
roasted and deskinned peanuts (optional)
grated dry coconut (optional)
ghee-1tsp
water - 2tbsp

I am not writing the amount of puffed rice qty etc as I did not measure them while making it. You can take approximately. About 4 cups puffed rice: 1/2 cup jaggery ..

Take jaggery and water in a thick bottomed wide pan. Melt jaggery and let it cool. Filter it. Jaggery may contain dirt etc. Clean the vessel and dry it.

Grease a tray with ghee and sprinkle sesame seeds on it.

Take the syrup in the same thick bottomed pan and heat it on medium flame till you get a 2 string consistency syrup. When you pull a drop of syrup btw your thumb and index finger it should form two strings. This takes 2-3 mins time. ..so keep checking.

Add rest of the ingredients and mix. Switch off the stove. Transfer the mixture to the tray. Grease a rolling pin and press down the mixture to spread uniformly over the tray.

Let it cool. You can garnish with dry coconut and nuts if you wish. Cut them into squares and store in a refrigerator or outside.

Puliyogare & Saarina Pudi

Puilyogare/Tamarind Rice is a tangy spicy rice which is very famous in southern part of India. The thick tangy tamarind sauce mixed with rice and tampered with loads of (yes..loads of..) peanuts is a joy to eat! A bowl full of puliyogare any time.. is difficult to say 'NO' to a hardcore SouthIndian like me!! Saarina pudi (rasam powder) was out of stock and so puliyogare was made because fresh saarina pudi was made :D ..This time around I tried saarina pudi from Iyengar's Kitchen

I was tempted to make Puliyogare when I saw it on her blog, so I made they were a grand success at home.

You need following to make saarina pudi :

Rasam Powder: For 1 kg

1/4th kilo – Byadagi variety red chillies
150g kilo- Guntur Chillies
3/4th kg – Coriander seeds
100 gms - Fenugreek seeds
100 gms - Cumin seeds
50 gms –Peppercorns
50 gms - Mustard seeds
1 tspn - Turmeric powder
½ tspn – Hing
4-5 strands – Curry leaves

Fry all the ingredients without oil separately. Grind it to a fine powder.
I have added 150 g more chillies than Veda has used to increase the hotness of the powder. Rest of the ingredients are same.


You just need to follow same step by step procedures as mentioned by Veda on her blog for yummy tasting Puliyogare.

You need the following to make Puliyogare Gojju :
Tamarind – 1½ cups
Oil - ½ cup
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 4 lines
Asafoetida (Hing) - ½ tsp
Red chillies – 8
Rasam powder – 8 tbsp
Salt – According to taste
Jaggery – 2 blocks

To make Tamarind rice from gojju prepared above you need the following :
Cooked Rice – 2 cups (grains separated
Oil - ½ cup
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 4-5 strands
Asafoetida (Hing) – ½ tspn
Peanuts– Use generously
Grated Dry coconut – 2 tbsp
Pulioyogare gojju or concentrate prepared earlier – 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Powders for seasoning:
Black Sesame seeds – 1½ tbl spns (don’t add too much, although it enhances the flavors….it might get bitter if added in a large quantity) I have used white sesame seeds in my recipe
Peppercorns – 1 tspn
Coriander seeds – 1 tbl spn
Rasam powder – 2 – 3 tbl spns

For a detailed post on how to make puliyogare visit Iyengar's Kitchen

This is for you....... :D


Sending saarina pudi to Roma's Long live shelf event

Kesaribath

It is 5 a.m. in the morning and ladies are busy visiting the temple with nicely set prayer plates. Ladies clad in crisp silk sarees carrying prayer plates .... Red, Yellow, Green, Purple colors galore on the prayer plate.
Nice aroma of puliyogare/kesaribath/pongal/..aahaa...hhhmmmmmm...emanates ..which is supposed to be offering to gods/godess....it is a common scene in Mysore during aashada maasa especially on tuesdays and fridays.

Not to forget the important part ...me and my sisters used to promptly line up for prasadam ....while amma was still taking rounds of peepal tree ahahaahahahhaa...

My Sis :Akka..pooje madlilvene..evathu asahada shukravara..asked my sis over phone..
English : sis, did not perform prayers today as aasahda fridays are auspicious ...
Me : :P ashada, sharavana ella onde bidu illi said me
English : hmmm...ashada and shravana ...everything is the same here ..so ..

this was our conversation few days back over the phone. In India festivals are a joy when we see good participation from neighbours etc., Once a person leaves India, situation changes? or we change..not sure.. :P atleast I have grown lazy and have found several shortcuts to celebrate festivals..easiest one is to forget it ahahahaa...which I don't do.. well, coming back to my kesaribath recipe, I made this as an offering to godess Lakshmi today on the auspicious aashada shukravara (Friday).



You need the following :
Rava/Semolina/Cream of Wheat : 1cup (I have used Chiroti Rava)
Milk : 2 cups (2cups milk+1cup water, if you are using chiroti rava)
Cardamom Powder :1/2tsp
Sugar : 1 cup
DryFruits : 1tbsp
Ghee/Clarified Butter : 2tbsp
Saffron Color : a pinch

In a heavy bottomed pan heat ghee. When it is hot fry dryfruits and keep them aside. Fry Rava in the left over ghee till a nice aroma emanates/rava changes color; Mix cardamom powder with it. Keep it aside.

Heat milk in a pot/a vessel in which you intend to make kesaribath.
When milk starts boiling, reduce the heat and color, and start adding semolina little by little and keep stirring the mixture. If you don't stir lumps will be formed.
Once you complete adding semolina add sugar all at one time and give a nice stir and continue cooking for next 1-2 mins.
Switch off the stove and garnish with fried dryfruits.
Enjoy it! hot...

ಹೆಸರು ಮೊಳಕೆ ಕೋಸುಂಬರಿ/Sprouted Moong Salad

It never occurred to me that my blog missed my favorite kosumbari.. till I was reminded by protein rich event hosted by Sangeeth of Art of Cooking Indian Food. Few of the protein rich foood for a lacto vegetarian like me are Milk, Cheese, Beans, Spinach, legumes, corn, oats etc

Many protein rich food mentioned above are also rich source of carbohydrates. Simple to eat protein rich food for me should contain less carbohydrate, good amount of protein and give us energy to carry on our activities and easy to make. Not to forget micronutrients like vitamins, minerals etc which should be included in our day to day meals. Now sprouted green beans make a good fit for the above category. It makes a good mid morning snack.

"Produced from mung beans, the sprouts are free of cholesterol, and are ideal for anyone counting calories. One cup of mung bean sprouts contains only approximately 30 calories, 3 grams of protein, only 6 carbohydrates, and only 0.2 grams of fat. Sprouts also contain a high source of fiber, are easily digestible and contain a high concentration of enzymes facilitating the digestive process" quotes a Associated Content website.

You have a look at 10 reasons why you should eat sprouts

You can buy readily available sprouted greenbean/mungbean which is available in supermarkets to make this salad. It saves lots of time. Alternatively if you choose to make it at home all you need to do is to follow these simple steps :
1. Soak beans overnight or at least 8hrs
2. Drain away excess water from beans
3. Transfer the sprouts into a air tight container
4. keep it in dark place (esp green/mung beans) for 12hrs
5. At the end of 24hrs you can see very well sprouted beans



Kosumbari:
Kosumbari is a Karnataka style salad. It is a medley of fresh sprouts/soaked lentils with cucumber/grated carrots, grated coconut and seasoned with salt and lemon juice.
You need 1 cup of sprouted beans to have 3g of protein into your diet.

You need following to make kosumbari :
Sprouted Mung beans : 1cup
Cucumber : 1 (peeled, and cut into very small pieces)
Coconut : 1tbsp (grated)
Green chilli paste : 1/2 tsp
Salt and Lemon Juice according to taste

Tampering (Optional)
Oil, mustard seeds, urad dal/black split lentils, curry leaves and hing/asafoetida.
Heat oil and tampering ingrediants in the order mentioned. Allow mustard to pop and then add lentils. lentils should be brown before you proceed to add curry leaves. Switch off the gas and add asafoetida.

Toss all the ingrediants when you want to serve. Pour tampering over and toss again. Serve fresh.

LongBeans and Sprouted Kadalekaalu palya &Awards

Sprouted Hasiru(green) kadalekaalu (chana) is a rich source of B series of vitamins. It has been ages since I feasted on fresh green chana available in India. There were days when we waited to see fresh green chana in markets. I don't exactly remember which month of the year we saw them in abundance, but they tasted awesome! Avarekaalu (surti papdi) dishes galore between the months of Dec-Jan, green chana dishes rock the menu when they are available in the market. I was able to find dried green chana in Mustafa after a loooong time. I happily bought 2kilos!!! I adore all types of beans and I remember to make them atleast once a week.

This is a simple vegetable using yard long beans (alasande beans/karamani) and sprouted hasiru kadalekaalu (green chana).


You need the following to make them :
Yard Long Beans : 3 cups (washed and chopped)
Sprouted Hasiru Kadalekaalu : 1/2 cup (green chana)
I have steamed both of them separately till they are fork tender.

To blend :
Dry Coconut Powder/shavings/peel : 2tbsp
Guntur chillies/Red Chillies : 3 (adjust according to your taste)
Jeerige/Cumin: 1tsp
Salt
Dry roast red chillies on a hot pan till they are crisp. In the same pan fry cumin for few seconds.
Cumin will turn brown and bitter if they are over roasted. Please be careful while roasting cumin.
Blend all the above to make a fine powder and keep the powder ready.

Tampering :
Oil : 1tbsp
Mustard: 1/4 tsp
kadalebele/chanadal: 1tsp
Uddinabele/Urad dal: 1tsp
Curry leaves : from 1 line

How to make :
Heat oil in a pan/woke/... When oil is hot add mustard. When mustard stops spluttering, add chanadal when they start changing their color add urad dal. Fry both till they are golden brown. Add curry leaves and steamed vegetables follow the row. Give a nice stirr. Sprinkle the dry coconut n chilli powder over it and stir and fry for next 1-2 min. Switch off the gas. Cover it with a lid and set it aside for 5-10 mins before you serve/till falvors settle down. You may like to garnish with chopped coriander before serving. I served them with rice. You can find recipe for crispy methi thepla's/debra here




Now it is the time to give awards which I got from my dearest fellow bloggers.

Good Chat Blog Award
Priyanka of Asan Khana had passed me this award and I accept that I am chatty. I would love to pass this on to

Sukanya of Sukanya's Musings
Nupur of Cinnamon Hut
Shifa Firoz of Voiz Out
Prajusha of I Cook I Post


Nice Matters Award
Priti of Indian Khana
Vanamala of Nalapaka
Coffee of The Spice Cafe
Anupriya of My Space

You Make My Day Award
Pooja of Creative Pooja
Nithu of Spicy Tasty
Asha of Foodies Hope
Vanisri of Illatharasi
Sowmya of Creative Saga
Mrs.SriLekha of Me and My Kitchen
HariPriya Reddy of Indian Hut
Priyanka of Asan Khana

Inspiration Award

I would love to pass on this award to Bellur of Rambling with Bellur who has always been my inspiration to comic creation. He inspires, keeps you occupied on his blog. Thanks Bellur for inspiring with your comics I love your blog.

Bureka Boy inspires me with his detailed recipes, tips, clear, mouth watering and simple pictures. He is a awesome baker who blogs ME cuisine. Check out his blog for mouth watering recipes.

There are many bloggers around who blog with altruism and give away useful tips/tricks about technology, blogging, food etc. They all are a true inspiration to me. I love them all.

Blogging with a Purpose
Sireesha of Mom's Recipes has passed me this award. Thanks Sireesha.

There are few bloggers around who blog with a purpose of sharing good information. Their sole purpose is to share their knowledge. If you are a tech challenged blogger like me, you can check out few good tips and step by step instructions here :
http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com
http://tricks-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com
I am not sure whether they are going to pick up this award, but I would love to pass this award to them. Their blog has helped me a lot.

Siri of Siri's Corner and DK of Culinary Bazaar started Dining Hall with a purpose of providing forum to bloggers to discuss and share their views. This award jointly goes to Dining Hall makers. Not to forget Indira of Mahanandi who was a brainchild of Dining Hall, she is a inspiration and a blogger who managed Dining Hall for more than a year. Thank you Indira, DK, and Siri.

Sailu of Sailus Food who gave us wonderful blog aggregator TasteofIndia. Thanks Sailu!

Sireesha, this award goes back to you for the purpose of sharing your mom's tasty recipes.

Many thanks to all my dearest bloggers for showering me with these awards. They mean a lot to me. Congratulations to all those who are receiving awards from Taste of Mysore. Enjoy them and pass them over!

The link to all award pictures can be found here.Please feel free to use them.