Pavakkai PuliKuzhambu (Bittergourd Tamarind Gravy/Pavakkai Theeyal)

Hi Friends, My Guest Post is published in Nithus Kitchen. I am really happy to participate in her Guest post. If you too want to participate, do drop a mail to her. It really helps many new bloggers. Thank you Nithu dear and i wish you continue this great work for the years to come.....

Here comes the recipe now...

Ingredients

• Pavakkai/Bittergourd/Karela - 4
• Onion - 1 big (Shallots - 10 to 12, Kuzhambu will be more tasty, when shallots are used) (cut into small pieces)
• Tamarind - 1 lemon size
• Jaggery/Sugar - 1/2 lemon size (1 tsp sugar)
• Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chana dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Urud dhal - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Red Chilli - 2 to 3
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - a handful
• Salt - as per taste
• Water - 3 cups (can be adjusted according to the need)
• Oil - 4 tsp

Method

• Soak the Tamarind in 1 cup hot water.
• Cut the Bittergourd in to small slices. (if you dont like the bitterness, soak the vegetable in salt water for 30 to 40 minutes and wash well. But it is not a healthier part and so i didnt do like that.)
• In a kadai or pan, add the Bitterourd and start frying with l tsp oil till it becomes light brown color (Dont fry too much) and pour the tamarind extract and allow to cook. When it starts boiling, keep the flame in simmer and let the gravy thickens.
• In a mixie, add the grated coconut, coriander seeds, pepper seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and make it to a paste by adding little water. (dont add more water)
• In a kadai, add oil, urud dhall, channa dhall, curry leaves, and fry them for 2 to 3 mts.
• Add the shallots or onion and fry till they becomes transparent.
• Add in the Tamarind gravy with BG to this and add the salt, coriander powder, chilli powder and grinded paste and allow to cook in medium fame adding 2 more cups of water.
• Add the jaggery and cook for another 10 minutes and switch off the stove.
• Meanwhile, prepare the tampering, by adding 2 tsp oil in a small kadai, add curry leaves and red chilli and pour this to the gravy and serve hot with rice.

Also today i got an award "You are the Best blogger" from a lovely blogger  - Priya Sreeram of Bon Appetit . Thank you Dear. She has a wonderful blog with very new and innovative recipes to try out. Please do visit her's to try out her lovely recipes....

                                        

Though want to share this award to all my fellow bloggers, sharing this with the following bloggers.

1. Sara of Sara's Corner

2. Nithu of Nithu's Kitchen

3. Peanutts of Chillies and Lime

4. Prathiba of The Chef and Her Kitchen

5. Kanchan of Kitchen Gossip

6. Jeyashri of Jeyashri's Kitchen

7. Krishnaveni of Krishnaveni's Kitchen

8. Geetha of En Samayal Araiyil

9. Chitra of Chitranna

10. Sameena of My Culnary Creations

11. Menago of Sashiga

12. Santosh Bangar of Santosh's Kitchen

13. Paaka Shaale of Paaka Shaale

14. Suhaina of My Singapore Kitchen

15. Nithya of Aaha-Oho

Friends, please take the award and share it with the other bloggers....

                                                                                                                                          



                                                                                                                                            

Javvarisi Semiya paayasam (Sagoo Vermicelli Kheer)

 

Ingredients

• Boiled Milk - 2 cups
• Javvarisi (Sago) - 1/4 cup
• Semiya (vermicelli) - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - According to taste
• Cardamom pods - 5 to 6 (crushed)
• Cashews - 8 to 10 
• Raisins - 8 to 10
• Water - 1.5 cups
• Salt - a pinch
• Ghee - 2 to 3 tsp

Method

• In a small pan, fry the vermicelli in 1 tsp ghee, till it becomes, light brown and keep it aside.
• In the same pan, 1 tsp ghee and again fry the cashews and raisins and keep aside.
• In a vessel, add water and put the sago (javvarisi) and add a pinch of salt and let it cook. (it becomes transparent).
• Now add the fried vermicelli and when it is 3/4th cooked, add the boiled milk and the sugar.
• Add the cashews, raisins and the cardamom pods and mix well and serve hot.

                                                                                                                                     

   












                                                                                                                                    

Badam Sweets/Almond Sweets

I am very much impressed by the almond sweet recipe by sridevi of Jiboomba. She has a fantastic blog with variety of recipes. Do visit her's for the wonderful recipes. I could not resist or postpone trying it. Though i could not get the red color, it really tastes awesome. Here goes the recipe.

 

Ingredients

• Almonds - 2 cups
• Sugar - 1 cup (Can be adjusted according to your taste)
• Powdered sugar/Icing sugar - 3 to 5 tsp
• Milk - 3/4th cup
• Red Colour - 1 to 2 pinch
• Green Colour - less than a pinch
• Ghee - 2 to 3 tsp (as needed)

Method

• Soak the almonds overnight or 2 hrs in hot water.
• Peel the skin and grind in the blender to a smooth paste by adding milk.
• In a wide pan, add the almond paste, sugar and stir well, so that water content evoporates.
• When the paste becomes thick, add the red colour and before adding save a 2 to 3 tsp of paste to mix the green colour.
• Let the paste cool down and after cooling, make into small ball shapes by adding ghee in your palm while rolling it.
• Now roll over the balls on the powdered sugar.
• Now with the green coloured paste, shape it into leaves or stem and arrange correctly on top of the balls.
• Almond sweet is ready to be served.

    

Strawberry Lassi

The day was hot and i want something cool.... i have some strawberries in my fridge and thought of doing strawberry milkshake.... but i need to boil the milk and then cool it as i don't have ice cubes readily. But i had curd/yogurt. so thought of doing strawberry lassi and it really came very good and very simple also.

 

Ingredients

• Strawberries - 4 to 5
• Curd/Yogurt - 1 cup
• Sugar - 4 tsp (or according to taste)

Method

• Mix everything and blend it in the blender or mixie.
• Serve chill.

 

Sending this and the following Beverages

Maadhulai Juice

Mint Lemonade

 

Mango Lassi

Masala More

Blueberry Milkshake

to the event Virtual Party - Beverages by Aipi and Shabitha

chicken franks - fried in indian style

I have not tasted hot dogs in India. After coming to Singapore, my husband got some bread with hot dog from Bread talk. I liked its taste. But never tried at home. One of my friend bought this for her son and i asked her the recipe. It was so simple and immediately i too bought one packet and tried at home. Believe me, its tastes awesome and children will definitely love it. I did in our own Indian style.

Ingredients

• Chicken Franks - 4
• Onion - 1 big
• Green chillies - 2 to 3
• Ground Pepper - 1 tsp (add according to your taste)
• Salt - very little (as chicken franks already contains salt)
• Coriander Leaves - few
• Oil - 2 tsp

 

Method

• Cook the chicken franks as we cook the idli. (i used the same idli cooker for steaming the chicken franks)
• It will become little thicker in size and now cut it into small pieces and keep aside.
• In a small pan or kadai, add oil, onion, green chillies and cook till the onion becomes translucent.
• Now add the chicken franks and pepper and salt and start frying till they becomes light brown in colour.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot as evening snack or side dish.

 

Along with this, i am sending some of my chicken recipes

Chicken Tikka

 

Chicken 65

Chicken Munchurian

to the following events
My event - Dish Name Starts with C
Chicken Recipe Event by Sameena

Baby corn 65

Ingredients

• Babycorn - 10
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Curd/Yogurt - 2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice/vinegar - 1 tsp
• Tikka masala - 1/4 tsp (optional)(i added for more spicy)
• Corn flour - 1 tsp
• Maida/All purpose flour - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as needed for taste
• Oil - for frying

Method

• Mix everything and marinate the babycorn for 2 to 3 hours.
• Fry them in oil, till light red colour.
• Filter the oil, in kitchen tissue.
• Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Kaara Boondhi

Ingredients

• Kadalai Maavu/Besan Flour - 1.5 cup
• Water - as required to make the flour like a batter
• Oil - for frying
• Groundnut/peanuts - a handful
• Curry leaves - a handful
• Salt - for taste
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp ( or as you need for spiciness)

Method

• In a big bowl, add the flour and little water, first and mix well, in order to remove the lumps formed.
• After all lumps removed, add 1 tsp oil and some more water so that, it becomes a batter. (little thinner than idli batter form)
• Now in a kadai, pour enough oil and heat it on medium flame.
• In a Jalli Karandi (laddle with holes), pour 1 to 2 tsp of batter in a tsp and slowly rotate it circular motion, so that the batter gets poured like a small balls.

• Fry them, till ligh golden colour and immediately take them out from oil and filter with a kitchen towel.

• Fry the  curry leaves and peanuts and mix them with the boondhi.

• Sprinkle the salt and chilli powder over it and mix well.
• Can be stored for more than a week, if stored in a airtight container.

Sending this to Diwali sweets and snacks by Lavi

Rasmalai

I made Rasmalai, from my Rasgulla's whose recipe i posted in my last post. To view it, click here.
Now comes the Rasmalai Recipe.

Ingredients

• Rasgulla's - 10
• Milk - 1/2 litre
• Custard powder - 1 tsp (optional)
• Cardamom - 3 (crushed)
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Saffron - few strands
• Almond flakes - few
• Pista flakes - few

Method

• Boil the milk till it becomes half its quantity.
• Add the sugar and stir well.
• Before the milk gets thicken, take 5 tsp of milk and mix with 1 tsp of custard powder. (optional step)
• Now add this to the boiling milk to make it thicken fast. (optional step)
• Add the crushed cardomom and few strands of saffron.
• Allow it to cool and keep in fridge.

• Meanwhile, take the rasgulla's, slightly squeeze it, make it slightly flatten and place it on the plate or bowl.
• Now pour the thickened milk(Rabdi) on the rasgulla's.
• Sprinkle the remaining saffron, badam flakes, pista flakes(i dont have pista while doing) on it.
• Delicious Rasmalai is ready and serve cool.

Sending this to the following wonderful events
1. CMT - Mithai by Mina Joshi and Jagruthi
2. Celebrate Sweets - Bengali sweets by PJ and Nivedita
3. Diwali sweets and snacks by Lavi