Hot Carrot Chutney

If you are not a big fan of carrots, then this chutney is definitely for you. Yup! you read it right. This is a simple chutney made from not-so-favorite vegetable for most of us, but it doesn't taste like it at all. I have prepared it really hot with a bit extra thai chilies, because that is how it quickly disappears in my home. Also, i have skipped the final tadka which you can always add at the end, if you prefer. The color and chunky texture adds another dimension to the chutney. Bring carrots to your 'really good' list by preparing this chutney. And here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

3 medium Carrots (shredded)

1/4 cup Coconut (shredded)

6 green Chilies (chopped)

1 tbsp dried Tamarind

2 Garlic pods (chopped)

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1 sprig Curry leaves

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Urad dal

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp white Sesame seeds

1 tbsp Oil

1/2 cup Water

Salt

 How to:

• Heat oil in a skillet at medium heat, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, cumin seeds and sesame seeds and splutter'em.

• Then add the green chilies, curry leaves, garlic and tamarind, and saute for a couple of mins.

• Now add the shredded carrot, mix well and cook until the raw smell disappears, for 3-4 mins.

• Allow the mixture to cool completely and then grind together with the coconut and salt for taste.

• Add water while grinding for desired consistency of the chutney.

• Serve as a side for dosa or idli.

Paneer Laddu

 Starting my day with a smile and a sweet! 

Laddus are often prepared on festivals or on weddings in the households of India. These sweets are round balls, shaped in between the palms of your hand varies in different sizes, also given as prasadham in temples. Today, i thought i would start the celebration of the upcoming "Diwali' festival by preparing this laddu with spongy paneer coated with juicy rose-flavored coconut. Got to say this, it tasted out of this world. I have to thank Madhavi from Vegetarian Medley for this wonderful recipe. I never knew we could eat paneer raw, until i checked her post. My hands smelt so good after playing with paneer and rose water. It was really easy and fun making these laddus. Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

7oz Paneer (grated) (store bought)

1/2 cup Coconut (grated)

2tbsp Sugar

2tbsp Powdered Sugar

1 tbsp Rose Water

2 1/4tsp Milk

1/2tsp Cardamom extract

10 raw Almonds 

1 pinch Saffron

1 pinch Salt

 

How to:

• Dry roast the almonds and keep aside. (If you have roasted almonds handy, you can use that.) Also chop 3-4 almonds. 
• Dissolve saffron in the milk and keep aside.
• In a bowl, mix together the paneer, powdered sugar, 1/2tbsp rose water, cardamom extract, salt and chopped almonds.
• Make smooth balls out of it and keep aside.

• Heat a small skillet at low heat, add coconut, sugar and the remaining 1/2tbsp rose water and cook for 12 mins, stirring once or twice.

• Pour the saffron-milk into the skillet, mix well and switch off. Let it cool.

• Now roll the paneer balls and coat'em with the coconut mixture, top it with almonds and refrigerate'em for an hour.

• Serve cold and relish.

Keep visiting for more Diwali sweets and snacks!


Sending this to the events
CFK - Festive foods by Suma and Sharmi
ONLY - Festive food by Preeti and Pari

Coconut Sevai (Indian noodles)

Ingredients:

1/2lb Instant Rice Sevai 

1/2 cup grated Coconut (frozen & thawed)

2 green chilli (cut lengthwise)

5-6 Curry leaves

1 1/2tsp Chana dal

1tsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1tbsp +1tsp Oil

Salt

How to:

• Heat water in a pan along with 1tsp oil and salt until it comes to a boil.

• Switch off the flame and immerse the instant sevai and let cook for 2 mins with lid closed. (Just like package instructions.)

• Then drain the water in a colander and run the cooked sevai under cold water to stop further cooking.

• Now, heat the remaining oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add chana dal, urad dal, green chillies and curry leaves, followed by turmeric powder.

• Reduce the flame to medium- low and add grated coconut and saute for a min.

• Then add the cooked sevai, mix well and cook until  its feels warm.

• Switch off, close the skillet with a lid and let stand for 5 mins to bring out the flavor.

Serve hot with chutney or kurma or keep simple like me, with little ghee and sugar.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice (cooked)

1 cup grated Coconut (frozen-thawed)

1tsp Ginger (grated)

2 small Green chilli (chopped)

5-6 Curry leaves

3 dry red chillies (broken)

1tsp Mustard seeds

1tsp Cumin seeds

1/2tbsp Chana dal

1/2tbsp Urad dal

4-5 Cashews (optional)

1 pinch Asafoetida

Salt

2tbsp Coconut Oil

Cilantro (for garnish)

How to:

• In a skillet, heat coconut oil, add dry red chillies and mustard seeds, when it splutters, add cumin seeds and chana dal.

• Roast until it turns slightly brown, then add urad dal, cashews and roast'em.
• Add asafoetida and ginger, followed by green chilli and curry leaves. Also add salt.

• Now add the grated coconut and roast in a reduced flame till it turns slightly brown.

• Mix the cooked rice well and check salt for taste.

• Switch off and garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with chips or spicy potato roast.

Green Beans Foogath

Foogath is a term used for a veggie dish cooked with coconut and curry leaves.

Ingredients:

2 cups green beans (chopped)

3 green chillies (slit)

1/2tsp mustard seeds

1/2tbsp ginger-garlic paste

5-6 curry leaves

1/2tbsp sambar powder (optional)

1tbsp grated coconut

3/4 cup Water

Salt

Oil

How to:

• In a skillet, heat oil and add mustard seeds, when they crackle, add onion along with salt and saute.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell disappears.
• Now add green chillies and curry leaves and fry.

• Add the chopped beans, mix well and fry for a min.

• Now add water along with salt and cook in a low flame with lid closed.

• Add the sambar powder and cook for few more mins until tender.

• Once done, switch off the flame, add the grated coconut and mix well.

Serve with dal(paruppu) rice.

Even if you don't like beans, believe me you will love this dish.

Aapam

Ingredients:

2 cups Raw rice

8tbsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 cup grated coconut

1/2 cup cooked rice

1tbsp curd/yogurt

1/2tsp Sugar

Salt

How to:

• In a bowl, soak rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds for 4 hours.
• Grind them in mixer or grinder or blender along with coconut and cooked rice.
• Add sufficient water and make a fine paste.
• Transfer the batter into a container and add sugar, salt and yogurt.

• Now wash the grinder/blender with 2 cups water and pour it in a sauce pan.

• Cook the washed water in the stove, stirring continuously and switch off when it turns semi-solid like yogurt.

• Let it cool and mix it with the batter.
• Now place the container inside the convection oven overnight with oven light on and ferment it.
• Next morning, you can see small bubbles all over the batter that shows the batter is fermented well. It won't rise or doubles like dosa batter.

• Let it be little watery when compared with dosa batter.

• In a non-flat bottomed deep pan, pour a big spoonful of batter, lift the pan and tilt in a circular motion so that the corners are thin and center is thick.

• Add a tsp oil around and cook with lid closed. Cook on one side only, do not flip it.
• Also try this floral aapam by tilting the pan with batter in front and back, left and right, and cross up and down.

• Remove it from the pan and serve hot.

Wanna bite? Try this spongy Aapam today.