Easy kolams for kids

arisi mavu kolam(festival days kolam / rangoli)

Brahmana veetu night tiffin

Ammini Kozhakattai 

This dish is a childhood favourite of mine. This savoury snack is a regularly dish in Palakkad Iyer households   as night tiffin.

Ingredients  5 cups rice flour (rice should be soaked for six hours, drained & pounded into fine flour)  1/2 grated coconut  salt to taste

For Seasoning  1 tsp mustard seeds  2 tsp black gram dal  2 red chillies  8 green chillies(cleaned & chopped)  2 sprigs curry leaves(cleaned & chopped)  1/2 tsp asafoetida powder

Method
Heat oil in a heavy pan and add mustard seeds, black gram dal, red chillies and asafoetida powder. When brown, add green chillies and curry leaves. Fry for a minute and add 4 1/2 cups water and salt. When water boils, add rice flour and coconut pieces. Cook on a low fire, stirring continuously till batter leaves sides of the pan. Cool and form tiny balls. Steam till done.
 Uppuma kuzhakkattai

Uppuma kuzhakkattai

Plain rice (eg. Sona Masoori) – 1 cups

Thoor dhal – 2 Tbsp

1 Tblsp Pepper seeds

Soak the two for about 20 minutes, wash clean and spread it out to dry on a towel. 

Add Grind the dried rice and dhal coarsely. 

for tempering

½ cup grated coconut     Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Split urad dhal – 1 tsp    Red chillies – 3-4

Salt – to taste                  Curry Leaves – 4-5

Asafoetida – to taste       Oil - 2 tsp

Heat oil in a Kadai. Add the Mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add the split urad dhal. Fry them gently till they turn brown. Add the curry leaves and split red chillies.

Measure 2 cups of water for each cup of the mixture and add to the kadai. Add asafoetida to the water and let it boil. When it starts to boil, add the coconut. After a minute, add the dry mixture. Cook on medium heat. When the rice and dhal mixture is cooked well, take it off the stove. Cool it a little and then take small portions of the mixture and roll into small balls.

Steam the balls in the cooker, like you would steam idlis. After steam starts to come out of the cooker, reduce the flame to medium and cook on for about 4 minutes. Hot Hot Upma Kozhakattai’s are ready.
Saada kuzhakkattai

saada kuzhakkattai

1.Soak Parboiled rice and grind it to coarse consistency.When the grinding is about to be over add shredded coconut (about quarter of the dough) and grind for a few minutes further.

2.Heat oil splutter mustard, Uzhutham Parippu , Milagai Vettal and Perungayam

3.Add the batter in to this and keep on stirring till it becomes solid

4.Make small balls using this batter

5.Put it in boiling water gently and cook for more than 15 minutes (Other alternative is steam cooking)

Kuzhu dosai

KUZHU DOSAI

The following is the recipe for making tasty dosas out of Pacharisi.

1.Soak Pacharaisi and grind into smooth paste,Add salt

2.Take out a small portion and mix it with water

3.Put little oil and heat it. In this pour the liquefied batter and keep on stirring, till the colour changes and it does not stick.

4.Remove from the stove and mix thoroughly with the main batter,

5.Prepare very soft dosas now.

My kids favorite desserts-easy & quick desserts .

Apple Sundae

This is a great way to feed the kids fruits!

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 apples
• 2 TBS almond butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1-1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2 TBS sliced almonds
• 2 TBS grated coconut

Directions:

1. Coarsely chop almonds and set aside for topping.
2. In a small mixing bowl, blend the almond butter, maple syrup, and almond extract until smooth. It should be the consistency of caramel sauce.
3. Cut the apples into quarters and core. Then cut the quarters into 3 pieces lengthwise and 1/4-inch pieces crosswise. Place in two serving bowls.
4. Drizzle the suace over the two bowls of apples and top with almonds and coconut.

Banana Colada

This recipe is a great way to use up ripened bananas . Just slice the bananas and put them in a plastic freezer bag and they will be there when you need them. And you'll also be enjoying a very good source of vitamin B6!
 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1/3 cup fine grated coconut
• 2 heaping cups of frozen bananas (about 4 bananas), sliced into 1/4-inch rounds before freezing.

Directions:

1. Add lime juice and some of the coconut milk to a blender. If the bananas are frozen together pull them apart before adding them quickly one at a time through the feed tube.
2. Stop the blender and scrape the ingredients down. Add more coconut milk and scrape down the mixture as needed to keep the mixture moving through the blender.
3. Add grated coconut and run the blender, stopping it as soon as the bananas are blended. If blending goes on too long the mixture will get warm and runny rather than cool and creamy. 

Berries Parfait

You can make this with  any one of your favorite fruits.
Ingredients:

• 1 pint of fresh strawberries or blueberries or other fruits
• 1 TBS chopped walnuts
• 
  4 oz low-fat vanilla or soy yogurt, stirred
• Optional:
• 2 tsp grated chocolate
• 1 tsp diced crystallized ginger
• Directions:
• Layer yogurt and blueberries in 2  glasses.
• Top with chopped walnuts.
• Sprinkle grated chocolate and diced crystallized ginger, if desired. 

 Peach Blueberry Crisp

This quick and easy dessert takes only a few minutes to put together. It's a delicious way to enjoy nutrient-rich blueberries. For a twist on the recipe, top with a little vanilla yogurt. This dessert recipe is good enough for company and easy enough to prepare regularly for your family.
Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

•    
• 1 lb of fresh or frozen peach slices                                        
• 10 oz fresh or frozen blueberries
• ¼ cup apple juice
• 
  
• Topping
• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 2 TBS apple juice
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350F (175C). Place blueberries in the bottom of a square 8-inch baking pan. If you are using frozen, make sure they are completely thawed and drained of excess water. Place peach slices on top of blueberries. If they are frozen make sure they are also thawed and drained of excess water. Drizzle ¼ cup apple juice over fruit.
2. Remove pits from dates and place in the bowl of a food processor along with oats, almonds and cinnamon. After running the food processor for a minute and the dates have blended with oats and almonds, add apple juice, and mix well.
3. Place mixture evenly over peaches and blueberries, and bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

NO-BAKE Apple Walnut Tart

NO need to bake. The healthy date and nut crust allows you to indulge in a delicious healthy dessert without compromising flavor. And one serving of this tart provides an excellent source of omega3.
Ingredients:

• Crust
• 2½ cups walnuts
• 1½ cups dates (Medjool dates work well)       
• sea salt to taste
• 
  
• Filling
• 3 green apples, such as Granny Smith, sliced
• juice of 1 lemon in 2 cups water
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground clove
• 2 TBS honey
• ½ cup apple juice
• ¼ cup raisins

Directions:

1. Combine walnuts and dates in food processor. Make sure you remove pits if dates have them and cut off end where stem was. Process until well mixed and ground, but not smooth (about 40 seconds). It should be a coarse texture when done. Press evenly into a 9-inch tart pan. Set in refrigerator while making the filling.
2. Slice apples by cutting into quarters. Cut out core and slice crosswise in ¼ inch thick slices. Put into lemon water while you finish cutting apples. Drain well in colander when done.
3. Place apples in a large skillet with rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently on medium heat.
4. Remove apples with a slotted spoon from hot pan to a bowl and cool completely.
5. Reduce liquid to about half the volume and then cool.
6. Spread apples evenly over crust. Brush apple-juice syrup over apples. The tart can be served right away or it will keep in refrigerator until needed. Keep tart covered in refrigerator so it doesn't pick up moisture. Top with a little vanilla yogurt if desired.

Tempering ....why do we do it?

Anchalapetti samaan

One of  feature that distinguishes Indian cooking is tempering (thallikkiruthu/tadka/bhagar). Tempering involves heating a little oil to which small amounts of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black gram dhal, curry leaves, asafoetida or other spices are added. The result is an undeniably Indian flavour and aroma. But tempering has more to offer. Just as there are essential amino acids, so also essential fatty acids have to be supplied in the diet. The vegetable oils used in tempering and ingredients like mustard seeds and black gram dhal have these essential fatty acids. Additionally, certain vitamins, namely, vitamins A (or its precursor carotene), D, E and K, found in foods like carrots, greens and cauliflower, are soluble only in fats, and require a medium to release and promote their utilisation in the body. Tempering once again proves invaluable. The carotene in curry leaves, a popular tempering ingredient in the South, is automatically transferred to the food by this process. Many of the vegetable oils used in tempering are also rich in vitamin E. Tempering of gas-forming dhalswith cummin seeds and asafoetida is to benefit from their carminative properties.
Every region has a standard spice combination to temper food but often it's taken for granted.
  Yep !! no more skipping tempering ....enjoy the flavor as well as the health benifts of it .
In fact, this process of adding spices gives Indian cuisine a distinct flavor. After all, it’s the spices that bring out the real taste – be it life or dishes.

Kolams

Typical Brahmana veetu snacks

Delicious home-made snacks , i remember amma preparing each one of these and store them  when we are away at school.

Though some of them are a long process to make it,  its worth to  try .   

Omappodi
Ingredients

omapodi

1.  3 cups besan 
2.  1 tbsp rice flour 
3.  1 tsp ajwain (cleaned & soaked in water dor a few minutes) 
4.  A lemon-sized ball of butter (unsalted) 
5.  Oil for frying 
6.  Salt to taste

Method
Grind ajwain to a very fine paste. Mix along with besan, rice flour, butter, salt and enough water to form a soft dough. Heat oil in a pan. Take a small quantity of the dough and press through an Omappodi (sev) mould directly into the oil. Cook on a moderate flame till done. Cool and store in air-tight tins.

Pokkovadaam 

pakkovadam

Ingredients
 *4 cups besan
 *2 cups rice flour
 *3/4 red chilli powder
* 1 tsp asafoetida powder
*A large lemom-sized ball of butter
* Oil for frying
* Salt to taste
Method
Mix together rice flour, besan, red chilli powder, asafoetida powder, butter and salt with enough water to form a soft dough. Heat oil in a pan. Take a small quantity of dough and press through a Pokkadaam mould directly into the oil. Cook on a moderate flame till done. Cool and store in air-tight containers.

uzhunnu vada

Uzhunnu vada

Ingredients

1. 3 cups black gram dal (cleaned & soaked for 1 hour) 
2.  12 green chillies (cleaned) 
3.  4 sprigs curry leaves (cleaned) 
4.  1/2 tsp asafoetida powder 
5.  Oil for frying 
6.  20 raisins 
7.  Salt to taste

Method
Drain black gram dal and grind it along with green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida powder and salt to a fine paste adding very little water. Heat oil in a pan. Take a small ball of dough and with wet palms, pat into 6 cm discs on a small sheet. Press a hole with your thumb in the centre and drop it into the oil. Make a few Vadais at a time. Fry till golden and drain. Serve hot with Chutney and Sambaar.

Bajji 

Bhajji

     Ingredients * 1/2 kg besan
* 1 tbsp rice flour
* 1 tbsp red chilli powder
* 1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
* 4 potatoes (peeled & sliced)
* 4 raw bananas (peeled & sliced)
* Oil for frying
* Salt to taste
Method
Make a batter with besan, rice flour, red chilli powder, asafoetida powder, salt and water. Heat oil. Dip banana and potato slices in the batter and fry a few bajjis at a time till golden brown. Drain and serve hot with chutney or sauce.

Mixture 

Ingredients 
 5 cups besan
 1/2 cup pottu kadalai
 3/4 cup peanuts
 20 cashewnuts (broken)
 4 sprigs curry leaves (cleaned & chopped fine)
 1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
 1 tsp asafoetida powder
 Oil for frying
Salt to taste
Method
To 2 cups besan, add a little salt and enough water to form a batter of dropping consistency. Put the batter through a sieve in drops, into the hot oil. Deep fry till pink, drain and set aside. Similarly, use all the batter. To 1 1/2 cups besan, add a little salt and enough water to form a soft dough. Take a small portion of fough and press through a sev mould directly into hot oil. Deep fry till done, drain and set aside. Similarly, use all the batter. To 1 1/2 cups besan add a little salt and water to form a soft dough. Take a small portion of dough and press through a Thenguzhal (thick sev) mould directly into hot oil. Deep fry till done, drain and set aside. Similarly use all the batter. In a little oil, deep fry daliya, groundnuts, cashewnuts and curry leaves (separately). Mix together boondhi, sev, thick sev, groundnuts, daliya, cashewnuts and half of the fried curry leaves. Fry asafoetida powder in half teaspoon oil. Remove and add table salt, red chilli powder and curry leaves and stir well. Add it to Mixture and stir well. Cool and store in air-tight tins.

Thenkhuzhal 

Thenkuzhal

Ingredients Besan or gram flour - 3 cups
 Rice flour - 1 cup
 Salt - as required
 Till or sesame seeds - 2 tbsps
 Chilli powder - 3 tsps
 Hing or asafoetida - ½ tsp
 Fresh melted butter - 1 cup
 Baking soda - 1 pinch
 Cooking oil - for deep frying
PreparationIn a bowl, mix the besan, rice flour and soda together evenly.
 Sieve them together and they will mix thoroughly.
 Now add salt, hing, chilli powder, sesame seeds and melted butter and mix.
 Add about 2 cups of water and knead with your hand slowly.
 If needed you can add more water and mix till it forms a thick, harddough.
 Now heat the oil in a kadai.
 Fix the design in the mould, which has got a thorny pattern.
 Make handful of balls out of the dough and fill it up in the mould.
 Place the mould on top of the heated oil and squeeze it slowly in the shape of a
   circle of about 5 cm diameter.
Without taking your hands off, repeat making the circles inside the previous circles.
 Now it will look like a maze.
 At a time you can squeeze about 3-4 savouries at a time.
 In medium heat fry them by turning them back and forth till they are crisp and
   golden colour and drain.
 Murrukku

Murrukku

Ingredients: 

3 cups Rice flour
1 1/2 urad dal flour
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
1 tbsp jeera seeds
2 tbsp Butter
3 tsp Chilli powder
Salt to taste
Oil
Method:
1. Combine rice flour and urad dal flour with asafoetida, chilli powder, jeera,butter and salt.   
2. Pour water and knead to make soft dough. 
3. Heat oil in a kadhai and press bits of dough through a mould. 
4. Fry the murrukku(chakkli) in the oil till crispy and brown. 

Happy Mother's day to all mothers.

Mother's day special menu at our home....
My kids and their dad cooked one easy and quick vegetable biriyani today. I want to share the recipe with u all.
This rice dish is an excellent choice if you have to cook for a large number of people at the last minute. Its very simple and easy to make.

vegetable biriyani 

Use different types of vegetables( or mixed veg. pack)to make it healthier.
1small onion, 1 small carrot ,1/4 small cauliflower,  few green beans.  water 11/2 cup or veg. broth.
1tsp oil,biriyani paste ,3/4 basmati rice,almonds,raisins,coriander to garnish.
To prepare the vegetables ,finely chop the onions cut the rest of the vegetables into chunks.
Heat oil in a large saucepan  Add onions stir until its lightly brown then add other vegetables cook for 5 minutes.Now time to add the biriyani paste and rice and water .cover and cook 15 minutes until the rice is tender.hmmm..yummy biriyani is ready .

To go along with it I made INJI PACHADI. (fresh ginger and yogurt raita)

Fresh Ginger

     How to Select and Store : 

When buying  the ginger look for the shiny,fine skinned ginger .It should snap easily ,which means it is juicy and fresh.As it gets older it turns dry and fibrous. Ginger is an herb. It can be used fresh, dried and powdered, or as a juice or oil.Ginger is commonly used to treat various types of “stomach problems,” including motion sickness, morning sickness, colic, upset stomach, gas, diarrhea, nausea caused by cancer treatment,  as well as loss of appetite.

It is well-known that ginger is a potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent. The fact that these properties become more pronounced as fresh ginger is dried is hardly common knowledge. Kashmiri cooking makes abundant use of fresh and dried ginger (south/ chukku), an indication that ginger keeps the pain and stiffness out of arthritic joints in the cold months.

2green chillies
3spoons of peeled and chopped ginger
1/4 cup shredded coconut
salt to taste
3/4cup yogurt
for tempering -mustard seeds and oil.
Grind the ginger ,green chillies and coconut in a blender,make a smooth paste.
Mix the yogurt ,salt and tempering.

Enjoy the motherhood with your princes and princesses.
Happy mother's day to all mothers.

Curry leaf is indispensable to Indian dishes

CURRY LEAF It adds flavour to several dishes 

The colloquial name for curry leaves is curry patta   and its botanical name is murraya koenigi.These leaves are highly aromatic.They are commonly used in seasoning foods by Asians ,esp. Indians.
Curry leaves is what gives the food items its distinct flavor.Although the leaves are added to Indian dishes as a natural flavoring agent, it is well known that they have some medicinal value as well.They are very rich in vitamin A , Flioic Acid and iron.
Premature Greying of Hair
The carotene in curry leaves are good for hair.When the leaves are boiled in coconut oil till they are reduced to a blackened residue, the oil forms an excellent hair tonic to stimulate hair growth and in retaining the natural pigmentation.Liberal intake of curry leaves is considered beneficial in preventing premature greying of hair. These leaves have the property to nourish the hair roots. New hair roots that grow are healthier with normal pigment.
Diabetes
Curry leaves have some role in controlling non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Eating 10 fresh fully grown curry leaves every morning for three months is said to prevent diabetes due to heredity factors. It also cures diabetes due to obesity, as the leaves have weight reducing properties. As the weight drops, the diabetic patients stop passing sugar in urine.
How to consume on a daily basis 
They add to the smell and taste of food and in addition to the food value.
The leaves can be used in the form of chutney or the juice may be squeezed and taken in buttermilk or lassi.I make karivepilai thogayal, a sort of chutney, that goes really well with hot rice.
You can make curry leaves powder (kariveppilai podi) very easily in 2 minutes.
Take a huge bunch of curry leaves, wash well, spread it on a big plate and allow to dry in an airy place.
Take a kadaai or wide pan and heat it on medium flame. put 1 tsp oil in it. now add the curry leaves that were washed and dried. stir this for a while till the curry leaves shrink and become very crisp (like you get in mixture snack). (same procedure we can do it in the microwave too).This will take only a few moments (may be 1 minute) so keep stirring. once done remove from kadaai ,let it cool for sometime then powder them  in a blender  (or) pound them (or) crush them by rolling chapathi roller over them. in few seconds you will get the powder. store them in a jar/bottle.A huge bunch will give only 2 to 3 spoons of powder. so approx. 1/4 tsp of this powder contains around 10 to 15 curry leaves.

Eat curry leaves daily. Grow a small herb garden in your own backyard and have a constant supply of fresh leaves!

simple & easy menu for today

Rice

Karuvepilai kootan (curry leaf sambar)

cabbage thoran

quick rasam

pashiparippu and mango salad

buttermilk

 pappadams (microwave-easy method)

KARUVEPILAI KOOTAN

 

Paste-  3 or 4 red chillies
1teaspoon black pepper
2teaspoon urad dal
few curry leaves approx:30
1teaspoon tamarind paste
2 cups of water
pinch of hing powder
salt to taste
for tempering - oil , kaduku, methiyam





Method  Blend all the ingredients to a fine paste. Dissolve the paste in 2cups of water  and salt. Next  tempering , when the mustard seeds splutter add the dissolved paste and simmer until the sambar gets thickens.Its a quick and easy sambar.

MUTTAKOS  PORIYAL

2 green chillies
2cups of cabbage finely chopped
1/4 cup green peas (optional)
salt,manjal podi, grated coconut 2teaspoon
for tempering -kaduku ,urad dalhing powder,few curry leaves.
Cook the cabbage and peas in the microwave for about 2 minutes.Then tempering ,when the mustard seeds splutter add the green chillies ,hing,curry leaves and cabbge +peas. Stir for one minute yummy thoran ready.
QUICK RASAM
3tomatoes
a lemon sized tamarind
hing powder
rasam powder
salt ,water
corriander leaves
For tempering -kaduku ,jeeram ,ghee.
Grind the tomatoes ,tamarind ,coriander in a blender .Boil it for 5 minutes then add rasam powder.
Lastly tempering.
PASHIPARIPPU MANGO SALAD
1/4 cup yellow moong dal
1/4 raw mango,2green chillies
coriander leaves ,lemon juice,salt
For tempering mustard seeds,hing powder and jeerakam.
First soak the moog dal for 1hour .Cut the mango and green chillies  .add all of them together.Final step tempering. Healthy and tasty salad ready.
BUTTERMILK
1/4 cup Yogurt
2cups of water
few curry leaves ,ginger,green chillies and salt to taste.
Blend all with a hand blender . Enjoy the watery buttermilk .
Pappadam
Roast it in the microwave or use the gas stove .

Try all the dishes together ,  I bet you will love the combinations .Dont forget  to make   parippu salad whenever you make no  parippu kootans or sambars.

C U ALL WITH A NEW SET OF SIMPLE AND QUICK MENU 2MRW.

Traditional iyer's lunch menu.

A typical traditional iyer meal is a three -course one like rice with sambar ,rasam and yogurt .Then one or two vegetable curries and  pappadams or karuvadam . But now a days nobody tend to follow the good old combinations of our Pattiammas recipes-- vathakuzhambu with paruppu uasili, mulakootal with pachadi , moorukkootan with vazhakka mizhukku varatti. Although there are no hard rules but those traditional combinations complement each other well . My dad  loves the simple menus like medya kuzhambu with chutta pappadam. When I started cooking, I realize why Appa is so picky when it comes to mixing and matching the dishes.
Though we are living in the US I try to make pakka brahmins  traditional combinations  menu ,so thought of sharing few of them  with all ,   my daily  typical iyer aathu  simple and quick lunch menus  will be posted in due course.

sarkkara (vella) payasam

Cooking time:45minutes

Serves :4

1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups water
3cups powdered vellam or
9 achu vellam
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoon ghee
cashew nuts ,raisins , ellakka
a pinch of saffron
Method
Wash the rice and cook it in a heavy saucepan . Cook until the rice is soft . Set aside .
In another pan dissolve the sarkkarai(vellam)  in the extra water .Cook on a low heat until the sarkkarai melts .Add the cooked rice .Stir for about 5 minutes . Lastly , add the fried cashews , raisins ,ellakkai and saffron. Before serving don't forget to add the ghee.