Sombu(Fennel seeds) chutney

This is a unique chutney that I learned from my friend Kavi from MI. Though the base is the usual onion & tomato, it gets its name bcos of the flavor of fennel seeds. This is very simple to make and tastes excellent with Dosa or idly. As you all probably know, Fennel aids in digestion and has a lot of medicinal value.
Ingredients:
Fennel seeds- 2 tbsp
Onion- 1 big
Tomato-2
Urad dhal- 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Red chilly -3 or 4
Salt
Asafoetida- a pinch
curry leaves- few (optional)
coconut- 1 tbsp
oil
Method:
Heat oil in a skillet and temper with Fennel seeds, Urad dhal, mustard seeds, red chilly and curry leaves. when the mustard crackles, add the chopped onion and saute nicely and then add the tomato and saute until it turns mushy.Sprinkle salt to taste, a pinch of asafoetida and a tbsp of coconut powder at the end.let this cool nicely and then grind it in a mixer. Serve with Dosa or Idly.

Cereal Mixture

I was inspired by Mahimaa's Chivda , made some modifications to it and ended up with this Cereal Mixture. This is a very healthy snack which can be prepared at home in no time. I just used the cereals I had at home...you can modify it per ur taste...Also this can be stored easily upto 2-3 weeks in an air tight container..soo here goes the recipe.
Ingredients:
Cereal- 4 cups (based on how much u want to make at one time)
I used a mixture of honey bunches of oats, cheerios & rice krispies.
Nuts- cashews, peanuts, raisins, almonds, etc (per ur choice)
Curry leaves- 2 strings
Asafoetida- 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
chilly powder & salt to taste
oil- 1 tbsp

Method:
Heat oil in a wok, and temper with mustard seeds. Then add the curry leaves, asafoetida, salt, chilly powder & the nuts and roast the nuts slightly. Now add the cereals and mix it thoroughly until it gets coated with the spices. Adjust the salt, Chilly powder & asafoetida per ur taste.( I added more asafoetida in mine to get the south indian mixture taste)....let it cool down and then store it in an airtight container. A quick healthy snack is ready....enjoy!

Methi Matar Masala

I came across the delicious recipe for Methi Matar Malai at Mahimaa's blog. I made few changes to it by adding tomatoes, using cinnamon stick, cloves for tempering and I didn't have half & half so just added 2% milk instead. Since I didn't add any cream, I just wanted to drop the 'malai' part from the name and just called it Methi Matar Masala. Thanks a lot Mahimaa for the wonderful recipe.
It tasted sooo good with chapathis and definitely is a great way to eat Methi.
Ingredients:
Methi- 1 bunch (1 cup)
Frozen green peas- 1 cup
Grated ginger & garlic- 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Garam masala powder- 1 tbsp
Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
Green chilly- 1
Onion- chopped-1
Tomato- 1
Salt to taste
yogurt- 1 tbsp
2% milk -1/2 cup
Kasoori methi (Dried Fenugreek) leaves- 1 tsp
For tempering:
Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick - 1
Cloves- 2
Oil
Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add the tempering items. When the cumin seeds begin to crackle add the chopped onions, green chilly & ginger garlic paste and saute till onion turns light golden brown. Now add the methi leaves and saute well. Then add the frozen green peas, salt,turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder & garam masala powder. Saute for 1-2 mins and then add the 1tbsp of yogurt. Add some water and cook for a min. Now add the 1/2 cup 2% milk and slow cook for 5 more mins. You will get a creamy gravy at this stage. In the end add some crushed Kasoori methi and serve hot with chapathis.

Vegetable Soup

This is one of the easiest soups to make and can be prepared with any vegetables that u have readily available at home. I just made a quick sandwich by using left over cauliflower & peas sabji that I had made for dinner the previous night to serve with the soup. This soup has garlic, onion, veggies & legumes which makes it a wholesome meal. I used MTR rasam powder to make the soup in Indian style but this can be substituted with some Italian seasoning too. And I used 1/2 can of diced tomatoes and water for the broth and this can be substituted with any other broth too.So here goes the recipe for simple vegetable soup.
Ingredients:
Onion- 1
Garlic- 2 chopped finely
Tomato-2 chopped or 1/2 can of diced tomatoes
Vegetables- 2 cups-carrots, beans, celery, zucchini, spinach, spring onion, cabbage(any of these)
Kidney Beans or Chick peas or any kind of Bean- 1/2 cup
Oil-1 tsp (just enough to saute onion & garlic)
MTR rasam powder- 1 tbsp
salt & pepper - to taste
Water- as required
Method:
Take a pressure cooker or stock pot. Add just a teaspoon of oil and saute onion & garlic for a quick min. Sprinkle some water if needed. Add all the veggies, kidney beans and saute for another min .Now add the can of diced tomatoes & required water. Add the MTR rasam powder, salt & pepper and slow cook for 15 mins in the stock pot or for 3 whistles in the pressure cooker.
Serve hot with a sandwich or a slice of garlic bread. Although I made this soup in a jiffy it tasted heavenly in the cold weather and really different with the MTR rasam powder as seasoning.

Rava Kesari

It's been a while since I posted on my blog.....in the meantime I received comments from a lot of people...Thanks to everybody for stopping by my blog and posting ur valuable comments....Rava Kesari is one of the easiest sweets that we make in South India. I had prepared this for my hubby's B'day on Jan 15th but got a chance only now to sit down and make a note of the recipe. This can be prepared in just 10-15 mins.
Ingredients:
Rava/Sooji- 1 cup
Water- 3 cups
Sugar- 1.5 cups
Cardamom powder-1 tsp
Ghee- 2 tbsp
Kesari color powder or orange food color- a pinch
For Garnishing:
Cashews/Raisins
Ghee- 1 tbsp
Method:
Roast the rava in a tbsp of ghee until nice aroma comes.In the meantime boil the required qty of water and pour it to the roasted rava. Add the food color, cover & cook the rava. Now add the sugar and mix well without forming any lumps. Cook for few more mins until the Kesari thickens and doesn't stick to the pan. Add 1 more tbsp of ghee and add cardamom powder. Garnish the Kesari with some cashews and raisins slightly roasted in a tbsp of ghee.

Thiruvathirai Kali

Thiruvathirai or Arudhura Dharisanam fell on Saturday, Jan 10 this year....it is the Thiruvathirai star day in the auspicious tamil month of Maarghazhi when the saivites from Tamilnadu worship Lord Shiva by observing fast and offering Thiruvathirai kali and ezhu (7) thaan (vegetable) Kozhambu(also called thalagam) as neividiyam. It is believed to be the Birthday of Lord Shiva and Lord Nataraja comes in a grand procession blessing all his devotees on this day in Chidambaram, the city of the dancing diety. As I was really sick since last week, I couldn't make the kozhambu this time but was happy that I could make atleast the Kali for nevidiyam. My mom always observed all these occasions without fail and still does till today.....to continue the beautiful tradition I always try my best to follow these too, yet another way to remember our beautiful roots ....So here goes the recipe for Thiruvathirai Kali.
Ingredients:
Raw rice- 1 cup
Moong dhal- 2 tsp
water- 3 cups
Jaggery- 1 cup
cardamom- 1 tsp
ghee- 1tbsp
cashews & raisins- 1tbsp
Method:
Wash the rice & moong dhal and dry it on a paper towel. After drying this, now roast this in a dry pan(no oil) until the rice turns slight red. cool and powder this to rava (sooji) consistency in a mixer. In a pan, dissolve the jaggery in water and let it boil, at the this stage add the powdered rice and mix well without forming lumps.cover and cook for few mins. then open the lid and cook until it thickens. Turn off the flame & add cardamom powder and mix well. Garnish with cashews & raisins roasted in a tbsp of ghee.

Basundhi

Happy Happy New Year to you all!
It's been a really long time since I prepared any sweet at home and with the birth of the new year, I wanted to start with something sweet......so here goes my recipe for Basundhi.......This was indeed a time consuming process but at the end was worth all the effort bcos my hubby dear loved it thoroughly and even said it tasted absolutely like Adyar Ananda Bhavan's basundhi:)


Ingredients:
Milk-1 litre
Sugar- 1cup
cardamom powder-1 tsp
Saffron(optional)- I didn't have any saffron so I skipped it
Pistachios- chopped- 1 tbsp (for garnishing)

Bring milk to a rolling boil in a wide non stick pan. Then turn down the heat to medium flame and slowly cook the milk by constantly stirring it. The milk has to reduce to half of the original quantity. This can take about 45mins- 1 hr. Do not cook in high flame as milk will stick to the pan and get brown. At this stage add the sugar and keep cooking in slow/medium flame until the milk gets really thick. Now add the cardamom powder and mix well and turn off the heat. Garnish with chopped pistachios. Refrigerate and serve chill.