Sakkara Pongal / Sweet Pongal

Pongal one the major harvest festival of south India. Especially in tamilnadu farmers celebrate it with great joy as its their earning which comes out of an year hard work. They make dishes out of new harvested rice.
One such dish is SAKKARA PONGAL or Sweet Pongal.
As a tradition at villages they make in MANN PANNAI (mud pot) tieng  yellow banana, turmeric leaves, flowers, sugarcane around pot. At my home we have tradition to tie the same thread with all the materials above around a VENGALLAI PANNAI (Bronze Pot).

Well there is no occasion needed to make this Pongal!!!

Ingredients:
Raw White Rice - 1 cup
Split yellow moong dhal/ Paytham parupu/ Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
Channa dhal/ Split gram dhal/Kadalai Parupu - 100gms
Gudd/Jaggery/Vellam - 1cup
Ghee/Clarified butter/Nei - 1/4cup
Kaju/Cashewnuts/Mundhiri parupu - 20gms
Kanja drakshai/Kismis - 10gms
Elaichi powder/Elakai powder - 1tsp
Milk - 1cup
Water - 3cup (for boiling)

Mehtod/Vidhiee:
1. Soak dhals & rice for 1/2hr in water.
2. Take a heavy bottom vessel/pressure cooker.
3. Add water and then milk. Bring them to boil.
4. During Pongal days when the milk boils and the froth falls out of the pot people say PONGAL O PONGAL (PONGAL name generally is derived from this froth which falls out of pot).
5. Once the froth falls add the rice and the dhals.
6. Keep stirring till the rice and lentils cook.
7. Keep adding water as and when required sot that the rice & lentils cook.
8. Once they are cooked (means you get to smash them well) time to add powdered jaggery.
9. Stir them well. Let the jaggery melt.
10. Add ghee to the rice mixture and keep stirring without taking out the hand.
11. Meanwhile in another small pan fry the cashewnut,coconut pcs and kismis in ghee.
12. Once the rice, lentils and jaggery becomes like a poridge add the cashew and kismis.
13. Keep a note the Pongal has to be semi solid as when they cool it would become thick and hard.
14. So its ok if the pongal is bit watery.
15. Add elaichi powder and stir well.
Serve hot or cold. Enjoy it!!

Note: You can make the same in pressure cooker. Add 1 portion of water and 3 portions of water to 1 cup rice and 1 cup lentils. Bring them to pressure cook (4 Whistles). Once the pressure is released add jaggery mash and mix well. Add ghee, nuts, kismis, coconut pcs, elaichi powder.

Mixed Fibre Adai

Its a slight varition from the normal adai where in i have added corn and oat meal.
So those kids or elders who dont like would like this adai definitely.

Ingredients:
Channa Dal/Bengal Gram - 2 cups
Raw rice - 1 1/2 cup
Sweet corn kernels - 1cup
Oats - 2 cup
Dry Red chilly - 4-5
Pudina - hand full
Salt to taste
Curry Leaves
Oil to make adai

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Soak Channa dal and raw rice for 6-7 hours
2. Along with them soak the dry red chillies.
3. After 7hrs drain the water and grind them well to a paste. If needed add water.
4. Pour the paste on to a bowl.
5. In a mixer now grind the corn kernels to a powder and and pour them to the same bowl.
6. Also grind the oat meal into powder and pour on to the bowl.
7. Now mix the pastes and add salt as required.
8. Add curry leaves as required.

9. Mix well add water to make it semi solid to make as a batter and pour as a dosa.
10. Now as you pour for dosa pour the batter and add oil.
11. When onside turns brown turn another side and your Adai is done.

For slight variation you can add grated carrot, green chillies, cabbage...
Serve with jaggery, mellagai podi, avial..

Palak aur Mooli ke Pathe ki Sabzi

Ingredients:
Palak - 1 bunch
Mooli ke pathe/Raddish leaf/Mulangi kerai - 1 bunch
Aloo/Potato/Urlakanzgu - 2
Pattani/Green Peas/Mutter - 200gms
Tomato/Tamatar/Thakalli -2
Onion/Peyaz/Vengayam - 2
Green Chillies - 2
Ginger - 2 inches
Saunf - 2tbs
Clove/Kramb/Loong- 2
Pattai/Dalchini/Cinnamon - 1
Bay leaf/Brinji elai/Tez Patha -1
Oil - 2 tbs
Turmeric - 1/2tbs
Red Chilly Powder - 1/2tbs
Jeera Powder - 1/2tbs
Garam Masala - 1tbs
Amchoor - 1/4 tbs
Salt - 1 1/2tbs
Water - 2cups

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Wash the Raddish leaves, Palak leaves and chop them well lengthwise.
2. Chop onions, tomatoes and ginger finely. Split the green chillies.
3. Peal the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
4. Take a cooker or heavy bottom pan and add oil.
5. Add Sauf, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, green chillies
6. Now add onions, ginger and saute well.
7. Add raddish leaves, palak leaves, tomatoes saute well.
8. Add dry masalas and salt.
9. Now add potato and green peas.
10. Saute them well and pour water till they immerse.
11. Give them 3 whistles in pressure cooker.

Once the pressure comes down you get the fragarent healthy green sabzi!! Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tomato Sweet Corn Olive Rice

Ingredients:
Red tomatoes - 4-5
Cauliflower - 3 florets
Green Olives - 3tbs
Sweet corn - 200gms
Green Peas - 50gms
Green coriander leaves for garnishing
Olive oil - 2tbs
Basmati rice - 1 cup
Water - 1 1/2cup
Amchur powder/Dry Mango powder - 1tps
Cloves/ Loong/Kramb - 2
Elaichi/Elakai/Cardamom - 1
Bay leaf/Brinji elai/Tej patha - 1
Dalchini/Pattai/Cinnamon - 1cm
Sauf - 1tbs
Garam Masala - 1/2tbs
Sugar - 1/2tbs
Honey - 1tbs
Salt as per taste

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Grind the tomatoes into puree.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom vessel or pressure cooker and add elaichi,dalchini,loong,tej patha,saunf.
3. Add the tomato puree and stir well.
4. Add cauliflower,green peas and corn kernels.
5. Now add sugar, amchur, garam masala,salt and stir well.
6. Add the rice and stir well.
7. At end add green olives.
8. Add water and stir well.
9. If in pressure cooker give 2 whistles, if in heavy bottom pan close it and cook do not stir often as the rice may break.
Serve hot by garnishing with green olives, honey and coriander leaves... have fun eating low cal rice.

Vegetable Poha/Aval/Flat rice flakes

Ingredients:
Poha/Aval/Flatten Rice flakes - 2 cups
Water -3cup
Carrot -1
Potato -1
Tomato -2
Onion - 3
French Beans - 4-5
Boiled Green Peas - 1/2cup
Boiled Peanuts - 1/4cup
Green chillies -2
Ginger - 1/2inch
Curry Leaves - 2arc
Green Coriander leaves - to garnish
Oil - 2tbs
Mustard/Kadugu/Sarsoon - 1tbs
Asafatida/Hing/Perunkayam - 1/2tps
Salt - 1tbs

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Chop the vegetables except the green peas into small dices.
2. Meanwhile in a vessel soak the Aval/Poha for 5mins.
3. After 5min squeeze them and drain out the water.
4. Be careful that you do not mash them to a paste.
5. In a pan add oil once it heats up add the mustard seeds, curry leaves. asafatida and splutter them.
6. Now add onions, chilly and ginger and saute them till the onions turn pink.
7. Once they turn pink add the rest of vegetables except green peas and tomatoes.
8.Saute them for a while till they turn soft. Now add tomatoes and boiled green peas.
9. Saute them well and add turmeric powder and salt.
10. Add the boiled peanut and again saute them.
11. Now add the poha/aval to it and gently mix them well.
Garnish with green coriander leaves and serve hot.
You can also add dry coconut bits/grated.

Kothamalli Podi/Kothambari Powder/Coriander Sticky Powder

Ingredients:
Bunch of coriander - 1
Tamarind/Puli/Imli - 1 lemon size ball
Channa Dal/Kadala Parupu - 50gms
Dry red chilly/Suka lal mirch/Kanja sehapu melagai - 3-4
Asafatida/Perunkayam/Hing - 1/2tps
Salt to taste - approx 1/2tbs
Oil - 1tbs

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Wash and clean the coriander bunch along with stem and chop them well.
2. Drain them and dry them for a while.
3. In a pan heat oil and roast the channa dal, dry red chillies,tamarind till dal turn golden brown.
4. Once they are done transfer to a dry plate.

5. Again on the same pan keepping the heat on add the coriander leaves and stems that were chopped.
6. Saute them well till it starts leaving water and then the same water evaporates.
7. Saute with the coriander.

8. Cool them. Now grind the channadal,chilly mixture along with salt to a powdered consistency in a blender.
9. Once they are done add the coriander them again.
10.Keep a note of not adding water.
11. Take a small spoon and after each 20secs of running of blender mix the powder so that the moisture doesnt stick the powder to walls of the blender.
12. Note that this powder is a sticky powder and it would not come as a consistency of a free flowing mud instead it would as wet clay mud.
13. Once they are done take on to a dry plate and spread them for half hour then store them in a dry container.
Keeping them outside it would stay for a week. In a fridge it would stay from 15-30days.
Mix with hot til oil/ghee rice and relish the tangy taste.

Paruppu Thengai Poli

This sweet dish is made on BHOGI festival the day before PONGAL in south of India.
Bhogi is celebrated by burning the old things which are no more in use and the next day is the harvest festival Pongal when new things are bought for the home. But, considering the current global warming it is clever not to burn but to bow and give to the needy people around.
POLI is also called as BOLI in some areas. It is made up of only Parupu Poli (Channa dal poli), Thengai Poli (Coconut poli), Masala Poli (carrots, beans, potato salty Poli).
Today i have made a combination of Thengai and Parupu Poli.

Ingredients:
Maida - 2cups
Salt -1/2tps
Water - 1 1/2cup
Refined Oil - 2cup
Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1cup
Elaichi/Elakai/Cardamom - 3-4
Thengai/Coconut - 1/4cup scrapped freshly
Kadalai paruppu/Channa Dal - 1/4cup
Vellam/Jaggery/Gudd - 1/4 cup
Plastic thin sheets - 2
Yellow food colour - a pinch

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Knead the maida by adding salt to it with water. Add Yellow food colour.
2. Make into a dough and add refined oil 1/2cup and knead well.
3. Cover it with a plastic sheet tightly.
4. In a mixer jar add coconut,jaggery,cardamom (pods broken and the flavour inside need to be added)
5. Meanwhile boil the channa dal to 3/4 consistency where you can mash them by a spoon.
6. Once the channa dal is done strain them and add to the mixie jar.
7. Grind them so that all the particles get broken down but, donot make them into paste.
8. Grind them corasely but not any pc that would hamper the process.
9. Now remove the sheet from the kneaded dough and mix the jaggery coconut mixture with it well.
10. Traditionaly the jaggery mixer is stuffed inside the dough by flattening them into a chappati, rolling them and again flattening them.
11. Here, i have used the method of mixing both the jaggery mixture and dough.
12. Now heat a tawa in a low flame.
13. Take one of the plastic sheet and grease them with oil.
14. Take a medium size ball of the mixed dough and flatten them with your hands or fingers on the sheet.
15. Starting from thinning the ends and then again flattening the centre to the end.
16. Be sure that the edges are thin as when you cook them they tend to turn thick.
17. Now gently take the flatten dough and put on to the pan.
18. Cook on both sides till light brown spots are seen.
19. Now add 1tps of ghee and cook on one side and another 1tps on other side.
20. Traditionaly the POLI floats in ghee when on tawa which is now immposible as the ghee prices are high and so to our health :)))
21. Hence, add ghee as per your wish.

Serve hot with adding 1/2tps of ghee or white butter on top.

Veg Kholapuri

Caution this is an extremely hot and spicy dish. It has loads of oil and butter. Hence, make adjustments to the recipe as per your needs.
Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 1 cup
Potatoes - 2
Carrots - 2
French Beans - 5-6
Green Capsicum - 1
Onions - 4
Green Peas - 100gms
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tbs
Tomato Puree - 1/2cup
Kashmiri Red chilly paste/powder - 2tbs
Regular Red chilly powder - 1tbs
Green Chilly - 3
Kasuri Methi/Fenugreek leaves/Vendhaya elaigal kanjadhu - 1tbs
Jeera powder - 1tbs
Coriander powder - 1/2tbs
Turmeric powder - 1tbs
Garam Masala - 1tbs
Vegetable masala - 1tbs
Salt
Oil to fry -2cups
Oil to saute 3tbs
Butter to garnish
Green coriander to garnish

Method / Vidhiee:
1. First cut the cauliflower into chunks. Cut the carrots 2cms thick lengthwise. Also cut the beans lengthwise. Cut the potatoes to lengthwise same as carrots.
2. Slice 3 onions and saute them till golden brown and grind them along with ginger garlic paste and keep aside.
3. In a pan add oil to fry the veggies. Once the pan is hot put the veggies that were cut and fry them till they turn light brown. Do not make them crisp.
4. Drain them and marinate them with pinch of salt, Vegetable masala, kasuri methi and keep aside.
5. In a wok add oil , jeera then add onions that were sauteed and ground into paste along with ginger garlic.
6. Add the dry masalas such as turmeric powder, red chilly powder saute well.
7. Add the Kashmiri chilly powder/paste to it. Add the cashewnut paste.
8.Add tomato puree and salt to it.
9. Bring it to boil till the oil leaves side. Now add garam masala.
10. Add 1/2cup water to it and bring to boil.
Meanwhile
1. Cut the remaining onions and capsicum into big square dices.
2. In a wok add butter and saute the capsicum and onions. They have to be crunchier hence do not saute till soft. Just toss them and add the green chillies after chopping them lengthwise. Add pinch of salt.
3. Now add the Veggies cauliflower,potatoes, carrots to the wok along with boiled Peas
4. Add the gravy that was prepared.
5. Add the gravy how ever you require and its not needed that you add the whole of the gravy.
6. Mix well
Serve hot with green coriander,butter and Red fried chillies.

Soya Masala Dosa

Soya is one of the very rich source of protein esp for vegetarians.
Ingredients:
Dosa Batter - 1 cup
Soya nuggets - 2cup (even Soya granules can be used)
Onion - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Ginger - 1inch
Curry Leaves
Green Coriander
Mustard - 1tbs
Jeera - 1tbs
Asafatida - 1pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/2tbs
Red chilly powder - 1/2tbs
Garam Masala powder - 1/2tbs
Refined oil to saute - 2tbs
Salt to taste
Water - 2cups
Butter if preferred to make dosa
You can use garlic chopped or ground if required.

Method/Vidhiee:
1. Boil the soya nuggets in water and squeeze them to take out excess water.
2. Now slice them into small pieces.
3. Finely chop onion, green chillies, ginger, green coriander, tomato.
4. In a wok add refined oil heat it and then add mustard seeds splutter them.
5. Add asafatida, jeera and curry leaves.
6. Add onions, green chillies, ginger to it and saute them till they become transparent.
7. Add tomato and saute for 1min.
8. Add all dry powders and saute well. Add salt as required.Remember the dosa batter also has salt so put salt a bit low.
9. Now add the soya which were minced or diced.
10. Saute them well. Do not have any water texture.
11. End by adding green coriander leaves.

Few more tips: You can even add tomato sauce and soya sauce to give it a Chinese touch.

Method for making the Soya Masala Dosa:
1.Now take the dosa batter heat a tawa and pour 1/2tps of oil and spread well.
2.Lower the heat and pour the dosa batter and spread well in circular or oval motion.
3.Now raise the heat and then add butter to corners.
4.Make a crisp dosa turn to another side. leave for 30secs.
5.Now again turn to the white side which is the inner side and the brown side facing downwards.

6.Add the soya masala it a bit in the middle and close the dosa in half moon shape.
7.Press it gently so that it closes well. Add few more drops of butter/oil/ghee to it and serve hot.

This dosa doesn't require any condiments. You can even soya masala for rice chapattis and phulkas.