Taking a small break :(

Due to some unavoidable personal reasons i am taking a small break from blogging. Will miss you all :( 

My first award !

I thank, Julie of Tasty treat, ChitraManoj of Share my recipe and Ammu mohan of Rasi's veg bites to pass these lovely awards to me. Being my first award i am excited to receive these awards. I take this opportunity to thank all my blogger freinds and readers, and for all ur valuable encouraging comments.

Though the rules to follow to claim & these awards says, pass these to 15 other blogger friends, unfortunately most of my blogger friends already received this set once or twice. I dont want to bore them again.
As a token of Appreciation & Thanks i would like to give this 'Interesting Blog(ger)' Award to my blogger friends listed below. Friends, Thanks a lot for ur support.

1. Mahi
2. ChitraManoj
3. Priya Mahadevan
4. Rajeswari Vijayanand
5. Angelin
6. Kurinji
7. Aruna manikandan
8. Julie
9. Suja
10. Divya
11. Nandini
12. Prathima Shivraj
13. Vardhini
14. Mahjabeen Arif
15. Radhika
16. Ammu mohan
17. Jay
18. Reva

Receivers, please pass this award to any number of your blogger friends.
Happy Blogging!

Tricolor kurma / Tricolor coconut gravy

 Simple vegetarian kurma. Goes well with hot rice and chappathis.

Ingredients:

1. Chopped carrot, peeled & chopped potato, green peas - each 1 cup
2. Cooking oil - 4 tbs
3. Mustard seeds + urad dal - 1 tbs
4. Curry leaves
5. Onion & tomato - each 1 finely chopped
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbs
7. Salt to taste
8. Edible coconut oil - 3 tbs

To grind:
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 4 nos
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tbs
Garlic pods - 3 nos

Method:

• Boil and cook veggies with enough water in a pressure cooker / a wide pan till they turn tender. Keep it aside.
• Heat cooking oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves.
• Add onion, tomato, turmeric powder + salt and saute till tomato is cooked.
• Now add the veggies and mix well. After 2 - 3 minutes add the ground paste and cook for 5 mins.
• Switchoff the stove n garnish with chopped cilantro & coconut oil.

Panakam / Indian energy drink

Ingredients:

Jaggery (powdered) - 1/4 cup

Tamarind paste - 1/2 tbs

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

Dry ginger powder (sukku) - 1/4 tbs

Cardomom powder - 1/4 tbs

Edible camphor - pinch (optional)

Salt a pinch

Method:

Dissolve the powdered jaggery in 1/2 cup of water.

Add all the remaining ingredients to jaggery water + 1 1/2 cups of water.

Drain the drink thru a seive for any dust. Serve chilled.

Simple Healthy drink for the hot summer. I am submitting this to Kurinji kathambham healthy summer event.

Moong dal laddu / Moong dal sweet balls

Healthy recipe, suitable for kids.

Ingredients:

1. Moong dal - 1 cup
2. Roasted bengal gram  / dariya dal - 1/4 cup
3. Ghee - 1/4 cup
4. Boiled milk - 6 tbs
5. Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup (adjust according to ur taste. this measurement is medium sweet)
6. Cardomom powder - a pinch

Method:

• Dry roast moong dal in a clean pan. Once it cools down grind moong dal & roasted bengal gram into fine powder seperately. Seive them thoroughly and mix together. Keep this mix aside.
• Heat the ghee in a small pan, sprinkle the cardomom powder and switch off the stove immediately. Wait till the ghee cools down to medium heat.
• Take a big bowl - add dal powders, powdered sugar, pour the ghee and mix thoroughly. Quickly make small balls out of this mixture before the ghee completely cools down. If u cant do this, sprinkle the hot boiled milk and make the laddus.

Mirchi Bajji / long bell pepper fritters / மிளகாய் பஜ்ஜி

 

Simple spicy winter comfort food. I wont forget to pack this whenever we go for swimming / beach.

 

Ingredients:

1. Mirchi  / long bell pepper - 10 nos
2. Gram flour / Besan flour / Chickpea flour - 1 cup
3. Rice flour - 6 tbs (optional) Rice flour gives a crispy coating
4. Chilli powder - 2 tbs
5. Food color (orange) - 1/2 tbs (optional)
6. Hing /Asafoetida & baking powder - 2 pinch each
7. Salt to taste
8. Cooking oil for deep frying

 Method: 

• Wash the bell peppers & cut them lengthwise into 2 equal halfs. Remove the seeds and keep it aside. If u r planning to taste the seeds too (it will be spicy), dont remove the stem portion and make few small slits with a sharp knife on every bell pepper. Otherwise mirchi ll pop while frying.
• Prepare a smooth batter with ingredients 2 to 7 by slowly adding water.
• Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.
• Dip the bell peppers one by one into the batter and gently drop from the sides of the pan for deep frying. Cook in medium flame, else the fritters ll get darken quick and the stuff inside may not be cooked. Once the bajji turns golden brown, serve hot with tomato ketch-up / fresh coconut chutney.