Orange Peel Pachadi

Ingredients

For the pachadi

1 cup Orange Peel finely chopped, removed from two oranges

3 tsp Green Chillies finely chopped

2 tsp Tamarind Paste

1 tbsp Jaggery

1/2 tsp Turmeric pdr

1 tbsp Sesame Seeds

3/4 Cup Water

Salt to Taste 

For the tempering 

1 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/8 tsp Asafoetida / Hing

One Sprig Curry Leaves

  

Preparations

For the orange peel

 Peel the outer skin from two small oranges. Wash it well and pat dry.

Using a sharp knife, gently scrape the white skin on the inner side.

Chop the peel into small bits.

For the Sesame Powder

Dry roast the sesame powder on a hot pan, allow to cool and grind to a powder.

Prep for the pachadi

Heat a pan with oil, temper with mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add curry leaves, hing and saute.

Next add the chopped green chillies, and saute.

Add the chopped orange peel and combine well.

Cook for few minutes, next add turmeric, salt and mix well.

Now add tamarind paste and 1/2 cup water.

Let it simmer for 5 minutes, next add jaggery and let it melt.

Cook and let the orange peels soften.

Simmer till the jaggery melts. Turn off the heat.

Add roasted sesame powder and mix well.

Cover and let the pachadi rest for 5 minutes.

Check the consistency and water, if needed.

Taste and salt or jaggery to balance the tastes.

 

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Rava Modak with coconut stiffing

  

 Ingredients

For stuffing:

½ cup fresh Coconut grated

¼ cup Jaggery 

¼ tsp cardamom pdr

½ tbsp Khas khas (White poppy seeds)

Cashew nuts finely chopped 1 tbsp

1 tbsp Raisins

For outer cover:

½ cup fine Sooji 

½ cup Water

½ cup Milk

½ tsp Ghee 

 ⅛ tsp Salt

Preparations

Make stuffing:

Take coconut and jaggery in a pan on medium heat. Mix and cook till it becomes thick and most of the moisture evaporates. It takes around 6-7 minutes.

Now add poppy seeds, cashews, raisins and cardamom powder. Mix and cook a minute.

Turn off the stove, remove the stuffing to a plate and let it cool down.

Cooking outer dough:

Take semolina in a pan and dry roast with stirring constantly till it starts to change the color slightly. It takes around 7-8 minutes. Make sure not to burn or brown too much. Remove it to a plate and keep it aside.

In a saucepan, take water and milk. Add ghee and turn the heat on medium, let the mixture come to a boil.

The and roasted sooji and mix immediately. As soon as you mix, it will be like a thick paste.

Keep stirring and cooking, within a few minutes it becomes thick and comes together like a dough. Remove it to a plate and let it cool to touch (warm)

Kneading the dough:

As soon as you can handle the dough, start kneading and make a smooth yet tight dough ball.

Do not let the mixture cool down otherwise it stays crumbly and does not get smooth. If you feel hot, dip your hand into the water and keep kneading.

Shaping the rava modak:

Grease the modak mould using ghee. Keep it close. Take a small ball of dough and insert it into the mould from the bottom hole.

Using your finger, press it tightly around the edges evenly and make a hollow center. Fill the center with prepares stuffing.

Now close the bottom part with little dough and smooth out. Make sure it is sealed properly and tightly.

Now carefully open, unmould and arrange on the plate. Repeat the same.

Notes

Do not overcook the stuffing otherwise it becomes chewy.

Cooking time mentioned for stuffing may vary depending on how much moisture your coconut and jaggery has. So keep an eye on it.

You can skip adding poppy seeds and nuts, raisin to make plain, simple stuffing.

The color of the stuffing depends on the color of your jaggery used.

Do not let the outer dough cool down completely. Knead them while it is still hot or warm.

Dip your hand into water and knead so you don’t feel the hot dough.

While shaping suji modak, make sure that you’re pressing the dough around the edges evenly. Otherwise, in one bite you get too much dough and less stuffing vs other bite has more stuffing.

 

 

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Energy Balls

 Ingredients and Preparations

pottukadalai / fried dal 250 gm

raisins 50 gm

dry coconut 50 gm cut into small pieces

roast all in 1 tsp ghee till nice aroma comes  for 3-4  minutes, stirring well, remove and cool

 

in the same pan add 2 tsp ghee, once it melts add

besan 1/2 cup

cook stirring besan well till it changes colour, about 3-4 minutes

add gur 100 gm, mix well till gur melts 

powder the roasted dal, coconut and raisins to a fine pdr

add the pdr to the besan mixture and cook well for 2-3 minutes

add 1/4 cup water, cook till the mixture comes off the sides of the pan

remove, cool slightly and roll into balls

the energy balls are ready

 

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Gud ki Panjiri

 INGREDIENTS:
1. Whole wheat Flour (Multi-grain or plain atta) – 2 cups
2. Jaggery (gur) – 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 cups
3. Silvered almonds(badam) – 1/2 cup
4. Foxnuts/lotus-seeds (makahne) halved or coarsely ground – 1/2 cup
5. Gum acacia (Gond/Dink) – 1/4 cup
6. Melon seeds (kharbuje giri) – 1/4 cup
7. Poppy seeds(khuskhus/poshak) – 2 tbsp
8. Walnuts halved (akhrot) – 3 tbsp
9. Clarified butter (ghee) – 1 cup
10. Cardamom powder (Elaichi) – 2 tsp
11. Dry coconut flakes(khopre slices) – 4 tbsp (optional)
12. Dry Ginger powder (soonth) – 4 tbsp (optional)

METHOD:
| Preparation time : 15 mins | Cooking time: 40 to 45 mins | Makes almost 5 cups of Panjiri |

1. For making Panjiri , we start with prepping the nuts. If you don’t have silvered or sliced almonds, you can start by chopping them. I silvered almonds, roughly chopped lotus seeds and walnuts, ground cardamom and grated jaggery. Grated or shredded or chopped jaggery dissolves and melts faster than the lumps. It is always good to save our time at the front. (A stitch in time saves nine.). If you are adding cashews and pistachios , chop them finely too.

grated jaggery

silvered almonds

chopped lotus seeds

2. Take a heavy wok(kadhai). Heat it at medium, add the poppy seeds(khuskhus) into it. Dry roast them at low to medium heat for 4 to 5 mins till they change color. Don’t wait for turning them black. Just a slight change in color is enough. 😉



3. Add 2 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter ) into the same wok and heat it at medium. Start with roasting the gond(gum). The gum will swell up after a minute and when it changes color slightly , take it out with a slotted spoon ,draining the excess ghee back in the wok. A perfectly roasted and cooked gond will crumble in between both the fingers and turn into powder. This will take around 2 to 3 mins. I roasted them in two parts cause they have to be taken out as soon as they swell. To avoid burning in haste , you can use this tip too.



4. In the same ghee, now roast the almonds and walnuts at medium heat. Toss them a few times in the wok and then draining the excess ghee ,take them out in a dry plate.This will take about a minute.

5. Add more ghee (about 1 tbsp) if needed and similarly roast the lotus seeds at medium heat. The chopped makhane will roast faster and also easy to chew . This will take about a minute again.


6. In the end, add more ghee if needed, and add the melon seeds. We roast them always at the end, because they tend to sputter and darken the ghee. The trick to roast them safely is to use a cover for the wok in one hand and keep stirring them with the other hand. So while partially covering the wok, we can roast them perfectly without any splattering. Take them out as soon as you hear the popping sound, and turn off the heat.

7. Now in the same wok, add the remaining ghee . Let it melt. Then add the flour and stir it till all the ghee gets absorbed in the flour . Continue roasting flour till it changes color. You need to stir after every 3 seconds,so that the flour doesn’t burn. Also if you feel the mixture is too dry, you can add more ghee here.


8. When the flour has changed color,turned brown and smells aromatic, it is time to add all the nuts into it. Mix them instantly into the mixture and take the wok off the heat. Pour this mixture in a bowl to help it cool.



9. In the meanwhile , heat 2 tbsp of ghee in the same wok at medium. When the ghee is melted, add the grated or chopped jaggery into it. Stir it and try to break with the spatula. When the jaggery is melted and turned into a thick syrup, turn off the heat and pour this thick syrup in the flour-nuts mixture.



10. Immediately stir and mix them such that the jaggery is scattered all over the mixture. Also add the cardamom powder while mixing. When it is still warm, start making laddoos from it. Since on cooling the jaggery would set the laddoo. I was able to make just 15 to 16 laddos and then the mixture cooled and stopped coming together. Another trick is to add the jaggery in the flour while the flour is roasting and quickly add the nuts too. Then quickly turn the mixture into an already greased thali to form a burfi(fudge) kind of sweet.( Just like we prepare Sukhdi.) Mark the lines with a knife in the thali ,so that after setting you can easily remove the burfi from the thali.

11. If you don’t wish to make laddoos, just mix the roasted flour, nuts and melted jaggery together and the panjiri is ready to serve. This panjiri stays good for 3 months on the shelf.

As discussed above, the Panjiri is good for strengthening bones, muscles and in relieving the back pain. It is kind of home remedy for any physical pain. It contains ghee, which although is a saturated fat, but is better than the fat of butter. The jaggery, which is raw sugar, is better than white sugar. The almonds, walnuts help in improving eyesight and activated brain. In all it is a nutritious and delicious package.

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Lime=green chilies thoku

 Ingredients

limes 6

green chilies 15 =20 depending on its sharpness

turmeric pdr 1/4 tsp 

salt to taste

hing little

mustard seeds 1 tsp

fenugreek seeds 1/2 tsp

oil 2 tbsp

mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

gur 1 tsp 

 

Method

in a steamer/ cooker, wash the limes and green chilies, keep in an idli plate to steam for about 10 minutes till limes are soft.

roast fenugreek seeds , cool and powder it with mustard seeds and keep it aside.

once cool, put the limes with skin and green chilies in the mixer jar and grind them without adding any water.

In a kadai, heat oil, add mustard seeds, once it crackles, add hing, then add the ground paste and the dry powder along with turmeric pdr, salt to taste and keep stirring till it all comes together, now add gur, mix well for a minute, remove.

To store, put some oil or vinegar in the bottle/ jar, shake it well so the bottle/ jar and the lid gets coated  with oil/ vinegar.

Then when you pour your pickle, it will not get bad, provided you use dry hands and spoon to handle your pickles.

After transferring the pickle/ thoku to the jar/ bottle, add some rice in the kadai, mix well, you get to eat some nice thoku rice !

You can eat thoku with idli, dosa, roti, bread toast, or just simply mix with hot rice adding some ghee to have a yummy treat. 

 

 

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Coconut Ladoo- Healthy with dry fruits

 Ingredients

 

4 tbsp ghee

½ cup almond, chopped

½ cup cashew, chopped

¼ cup walnut, chopped

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp raisins

4 cup coconut, grated

2 cup jaggery

1 tbsp poppy seeds

½ tsp cardamom powder

 

 

Preparations

 in pan heat 2 tbsp ghee. add ½ cup almond, ½ cup cashew, ¼ cup walnut, 2 tbsp sunflower seeds, 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds and 2 tbsp raisins. roast on low flame until the nuts turn crunchy. keep aside. in a large kadai heat 2 tbsp ghee and add 4 cup coconut. Roast on low flame until the coconut turns aromatic. If you are using desiccated coconut, then make sure to soak it in warm water for at least 10 minutes now add 2 cup jaggery and mix well. Continue to cook until the jaggery melts. Keep cooking till the mixture starts to hold shape. Add in roasted nuts, 1 tbsp poppy seeds, and ½ tsp cardamom powder. Mix well combining everything well. Now cool the mixture slightly. When the mixture is still warm start making ladoo. Finally, the coconut dry fruit ladoo is ready to enjoy for 2 weeks when refrigerated. 

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Sambar- Onam special

Ingredients

1.Coconut oil vegetable oil -1 tbsp

2. hing powder

3.Bengal gram dhal-5 gm

Menthia seeds 5 gm

urad dal -5 gm

4. Coriander seeds -10 gm

5.Curry leaves

6.Dried red chilies 10 gm

7.Tur dal 200 gm

Turmeric powder ½ tsp

Curry leaves

8.Tamarind -40 gm

9.Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Asafotida-10 gm

Jaggery –little

Curry leaves –little

10.Coconut oil – I tsp

11.Drum stick-10 gm

Bitter gourd- 5 gm

12.Brinjal-15 gm

Okra(Ladies finger)-15 gm

13.Coconut oil -1 tbsp

14. Mustard –one tsp

Few pieces of dried red chilies

Little curry leaves

15.Coriander leaves

Method

1.In a heavy bottom Kadai, heat oil, add hing and when it is sufficiently hot , add item in S.No.3

2.When this is properly fried, add Coriander seeds and curry leaves

3.When the leaves are properly fried add pepper.

4.When the pepper splutters, take out from the stove add little water and grind oit and keep separately. This is the fresh sambhar Masala (Keep two table spon of this masala to make Rasam)

5.Boil one litre of water. Add the Well washed Tuar dhal . turmeric powder and curry leaf. Boil it till Dhal is completely cooked. Add One and half litre of well boiled water. Stir and allow it to cool. The sediments of Dhal will be in the bottom and clear yellow colour water will stand at the top. Separate out the water and keep it for making Rasam. The Dhal with little water can be used to make Sambhar.

6.Put the tamarind in hot water and extract the juice completely..Add one litre of water and also add the items mentioned and S.No.( and boil .Add little coconut oil

7.Add Cut drum stick and bitter gourd and this boiling mixture.

8.After bitter gourd is properly cooked add cut pieces of Brinjal and Okra and contine boiling

9.After these vegetables are well cooked add the Dhal for Sambhar and continue boiling

10.Once this comes to boil , add the freshly prepared sambar masala and once this comes to boil , remove the vessel from stove.

11.Season with items mentioned in 14

12. Add cut coriander leaf. Mix it well and serve.

In normal days, Sambhar also can be prepared by any one of the vegetables mentioned.This sambar differs from the way I make. Just wanted you all to know the typical Onam special sambar.

 

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