Sweetcorn Fritters

INGREDIENTS:
   Sweet corn kernels - 1 Cup
   Besan flour - 2 Tbsp
   Rice flour - 1 Tbsp
   Onion - 1 (Finely chopped)
   Green chillies - 2 (Finely chopped)
   Asafoetida - 1/4 Tsp
   Salt - As needed
   Oil - To deep fry
   Curry Leaves - 1 Tbsp (Finely chopped)
   Coriander Leaves - 1 Tbsp (Finely chopped)

METHOD:

• Add Corn kernels, Onion, Green chillies, Curry leaves and coriander leaves in a mixer and pulse it just once or twice.Then transfer this mixture to a bowl.

• Add Besan flour, Rice flour, Asafoetida and Salt and mix well.

• Make equal sized balls and arrange them in a plate and set aside.
• Now heat oil in a pan.Shape each balls to flat patties by using your palm and carefully drop this into oil.

• Deep fry in medium flame till golden brown and drain it in a tissue paper.

• Serve hot with sauce..

NOTES:

• Do not add water while grinding and mixing.
• You can also add a tsp of chilly powder if you want.
• Fry in medium flame to ensure even cooking.

Spicy Chicken Fry

INGREDIENTS:
   Chicken - 1/2 kg
   Onion - 1
   Green chillies - 2
   Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
   Tomato - 1
   Chilly powder - 2 Tsp
   Coriander powder - 1 Tbsp
   Garam masala powder - 1 Tsp
   Turmeric - 1/4 Tsp
   Pepper powder - 1 Tsp
   Salt - As needed
   Coriander leaves - Few
   Curry leaves - Few
TO TEMPER:
   Oil - 2 Tbsp
   Fennel - 1 Tsp
   Cloves - 2
   Cardamom - 2
   Marati mokku - 2

METHOD:

• Add chicken,Turmeric and Salt in a pressure cooker and cook it for 2 to 3 whistles by adding 1 cup of water.
• Heat oil in a pan and temper with the items given under 'TO TEMPER'.

• Then add chopped onions, Curry leaves, Green chillies and fry well. Add Ginger-Garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes.

• Now add chopped tomato with little Salt and saute till it becomes mushy.
• Add chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and mix well.Saute till raw smell leaves.

• Add chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
• Now add  cooked chicken pieces along with the remaining water and mix well.

• Then cook till it becomes dry.
• Finally add pepper powder and some chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

• Switch off and serve as a sidedish for rice or roti..

NOTES:

• Adding pepper powder is optional you can omit it too.
• You can add 1 tsp ghee while tempering for extra flavour.

Poosanikai Halwa / Kasi Halwa

INGREDIENTS:
   White pumpkin - 2 Cups (Grated)
   Sugar - 3/4 Cup
   Ghee - 2 to 3 Tbsp
   Cardamom powder - a pinch
   Food colour - a pinch
   Cashews - 5
   Raisins & Tutti frutti - 2 Tbsp (optional)

METHOD:

• Peel off the skin of white pumpkin, remove the seeds and grate the inner fleshy part.
• Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan and fry the cashews, raisins and tutti frutti and keep aside.

• In the same pan add the grated pumpkin and saute till raw smell leaves.Cook covered for 5 minutes.
• Then add Sugar and mix well.

• Now add food colour, Cardamom powder and mix well.
• Add remaining ghee and cook till the halwa leaves the sides of the pan.

• Finally add roasted cashews, raisins and tutti frutti and mix well.

• Switch off and serve warm/chilled.

NOTES:

• Adjust sugar according to your taste.
• You can also add finely chopped dates along with raisins & tutti frutti.
• Before adding sugar make sure the pumpkin is cooked well and has no raw smell.

Linking this to Gayathri's WTML EVENT hosted by sapana...

Vegetable Biryani

INGREDIENTS:
   Basmati Rice - 1 Cup
   Mixed Vegetables - 1 Cup
   Onion - 1
   Tomato - 1
   Red Chilly Powder - 1 Tsp
   Coriander Powder - 1 Tsp
   Curd - 2 Tsp
   Salt - As needed
   Coconut milk - 1 Cup
   Water - 1 Cup
TO GRIND:
   Garlic - 4
   Ginger - 1" piece
   Green chillies - 2
   Mint leaves - Few
   Coriander leaves - Few
TO TEMPER:
   Oil - 1 Tbsp , Ghee - 1 Tbsp
   Cinnamon - 1"
   Cloves - 2
   Cardamom - 2
   Bay leaves - 2
   Marati mokku - 2
   Fennel - 1/2 Tsp

METHOD:

• Wash and soak the rice for 1/2 an hour and drain the water and keep aside.
• Meanwhile chop the veggies and slice the onion and keep it ready.
• Grind the items given under 'TO GRIND' with little water to a fine paste and keep aside.

• Now heat Oil & Ghee in a pressure cooker and temper with the items given under 'TO TEMPER'.
• Add onions and saute for 2 Minutes.

• Then add ground paste and saute till raw smell leaves.Now add tomato and saute well.

• Add Chilly powder, Coriander powder, Salt and saute for 2 minutes.
• Add chopped vegetables, Curd and mix well.

• Finally add Rice, Coconut milk and water and mix well.Close the lid and pressure cook for 4 whistles and switch off.

• Serve hot with onion raita.

NOTES:

• You can add any vegetables of your choice.
• I used normal rice but you can use basmati or biryani rice (seeraga samba rice).

Mixed Vegetable Kurma

INGREDIENTS:
   Mixed Vegetables - 1 Cup
   Onion - 1
   Tomato - 2
   Green chillies - 2
   Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 Tsp
   Red Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
   Garam masala Powder - 1 Tsp
   Coriander Powder - 2 Tsp
   Salt - As needed
   Coriander Leaves - Few
   Water - 1 Cup
TO GRIND:
   Coconut - 1/2 Cup
   Roasted gram - 1 Tbsp
   Poppy seeds - 1 /2 Tsp
   Fennel - 1 Tsp
   Cinnamon - 1"
   Cloves - 2
   Cardamom - 2
   Cashews - 10
TO TEMPER:
   Oil - 1 Tbsp
   Ghee - 1 Tsp
   Bay leaf - 2
   Fennel - 1/4 Tsp
   Star anise - 1
   Marati mokku - 2

METHOD:

• Grind the items given under 'TO GRIND' with little water to a fine paste and keep aside. Also grind the tomatoes to a paste.

• Chop the vegetables and onion finely.
• Heat Oil and Ghee in a pressure cooker and temper with the items given under 'TO TEMPER'.
• Then add Onion, G.chillies and saute well.

• Add Ginger-Garlic paste and saute till raw smell leaves.Then add tomato paste and saute well for 5 minutes.

• Now add Chilly powder, Garam masala powder, Coriander powder and cook till oil seperates.
• Add chopped veggies and mix well.

• Then add ground paste and Water with enough salt and mix well.
• Close the lid and pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistles in medium flame and switch off.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

• Serve with Chapathi, poori or parotta..

NOTES:

• You can add any vegetables of your choice like carrot, beans, peas etc.
• You can also add white Channa instead of veggies.
• Adjust water according to the consistency you need.If you want it to be little thick, then add 3/4 cup of water.

Boondi Ladoo

INGREDIENTS:
   Besan flour - 1 Cup
   Sugar- 1 and 1/4 Cup
   Ghee- 1 Tsp
   Cooking soda - A pinch
   Salt - A pinch
   Yellow food color - A pinch
   Cardamom powder- 1/4 Tsp
   Cashews & Raisins - 2 Tbsp
   Sugar Candy - 1 Tbsp (optional)
   Edible Camphor - A tiny pinch

   Water - 1 Cup

   Oil - As needed

METHOD:

• In a bowl add Besan flour, Cooking soda, Salt, Food color and mix well. Add Water little by little to form a batter like dosa batter consistency.

• Heat enough Oil in a pan and hold the ladle with small holes just above the oil.
• Now pour one ladle of batter over the ladle and spread it well.
• Fry the boondis with constant turning and take out when the bubbles ceases.Do not fry till it becomes crispy.

• Wipe the boondi ladle every time with a cloth or tissue to get perfect boondis.
• Repeat this process to finish the batter.
• Now add Sugar and Water in a pan and boil until it reaches one string consistency.
• Then switch off the flame and add Cardamom powder, a pinch of food color and keep aside.

• Now add prepared boondis to the sugar syrup and mix well.
• Add Ghee,Edible camphor, Cashews, Raisins, Sugar candy and mix well and start making ladoos.

• Make ladoos when it is still warm enough to handle.If needed, grease your hands with ghee and shape the ladoos.
• Store in an airtight container and enjoy..

NOTES:

• Make sure the batter consistency is right.If the batter is too thick you will have boondis with tails.
• If it is very thin, then the boondis will be flat so adjust according to it by adding flour or water to get the right consistency.
• Adding edible camphor and Sugar candy is optional.
• To check for one string consistency take the sugar syrup between your thumb and index finger, if it forms one string then switch off the flame.
• I mashed the boondis little with a ladle before making ladoos.

Linking this to Gayathri's WTML EVENT hosted by sapana...

Sambar Sadam / Sambar Rice

INGREDIENTS:
   Rice - 1 Cup
   Toor dal - 1/2 Cup
   Mixed vegetables - 1 Cup
   Shallots - 1/4 Cup
   Tamarind - 1 Small lemon size
   Tomato - 1
   G.chillies - 1 or 2
   Curry leaves - Few
   Sambar powder - 1 Tsp
   Turmeric - 1/2 Tsp
   Jaggery - 1/2 Tsp
   Coriander leaves - Few
   Salt - As needed

TO ROAST AND GRIND:
   Coriander seeds - 1 Tbsp
   Channa dal - 1 Tbsp
   Urad dal - 1 Tbsp (optional)
   Pepper - 1/2 Tsp (optional)

   Fenugreek - 1/4 Tsp

   R.chillies - 4
   Coconut - 2 Tbsp or 1/8 cup
   Asafoetida - 1/4 Tsp

TO TEMPER:
   Oil- 1 Tbsp
   Ghee - 1 Tbsp
   mustard- 1/2 Tsp
   Cumin - 1/2 Tsp
   Asafoetida - 1/4 Tsp

METHOD:

• Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and roast the items given under 'TO ROAST AND GRIND' one by one except asafoetida and let it cool.
• Grind it with asafoetida to a coarse powder and keep aside.

• Soak tamarind in half cup of water and extract juice and keep aside.
• Pressure cook rice, dal and vegetables with enough water for upto 5 whistles.

• Heat oil and ghee in a pan and temper with the items given under 'TO TEMPER'. Then add Shallots, G.chillies, Curry leaves and saute well.

• Add tomatoes and saute well.
• Then add Tamarind extract, Sambar powder, Turmeric and bring it to boil.

• Then add ground powder, Salt, Jaggery and mix well.
• Add this mixture to the cooked rice & dal and mix well.

• Then allow it to boil for 5 to 10 minutes in low flame or close the cooker and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
• Switch off and add a tsp of ghee and mix well.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with papad.

NOTES:

• You can add any vegetables of your choice like carrot, beans, potato, peas etc.
• You can cook the vegetables separately and add it to the sambar before adding rice and dal mixture.