Easy ullivada

Psalms: 34:8

                     There is no better option than hot crispy Ullivada for a tea time snack. It is so easy to make that you can make it every day. Its ingredients are those which are commonly available in every kitchen. Preparation time can never exceed half an hour.  There is no exact measurement for the ingredients which makes it a child's play to cook it. Let us get cooking!!

Ingredients (Quantity as per your taste and requirement)

Onion: Thinly sliced
Ginger: Crushed
Green chilli: Sliced to small pieces
Curry leaves: Cut to small pieces 
Gram flour
Rice flour
Chilli powder
Asafoetida
Garam masala
Salt
Oil

Method

Step 1: In a bowl add the onion, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves and some salt. Crush them together with your hand so that water starts oozing out from the onion. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Step 2: After 15 minutes you can see that a good amount of water has come out of the onion. No extra water has to be added. Now add chilli powder, asafoetida, garam masala and about two tablespoons of rice flour. Mix well.

Step 3: Add gram flour and mix well to form a thick coating on onion slices. Add salt if required.

Step 4: Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the onion-flour mixture in the size of the Ullivada you want. Fry it over medium heat until it turns to a nice brown colour. 

Yummy crispy Ullivada is ready to serve. Serve it hot.

How to make dosa batter at home

Wisdom 7:7

                          Home made is always good. So why do you buy ready-to-make dosa batter, whose ingredients we never know, when you can easily make it at home? Making the batter fresh at home does make a difference in the taste of dosa we make out of it. It tastes amazing and is very soft. It is very easy to make the batter and let us see below how.

Makes 10-15 medium sized dosas.

Ingredients:

Parboiled rice / Idli rice : 1 cup

Split black gram / Urud dal : 1/2 cup

Fenugreek seeds : 1 table spoon

Cooked rice : 1/4 cup

Salt : as required

Water : as required

Method:

 

Step 1: Wash idli rice, Urud dal and fenugreek seeds and soak them separately in water for 7 hours. (We use the water in which they are soaked for grinding them. So add sufficient water.)

Step 2: After 7 hours, grind the soaked idli rice, urud dal and fenugreek seeds along with cooked rice in a mixer adding the water used for soaking. Grind them to form a smooth batter (not too loose).

Step 3:  Pour the batter to a glass container and keep it in a warm place for 8 hours to ferment.

Step 4: After 8 hours, you can see that the batter has risen. Add salt and mix well. The batter is ready to make soft dosas.

Easy Banana Bonda - A delicious kerala snack recipe

Leviticus 26:12

                   Is it not mouth watering to see those hot sweet 'bondas' (or some call it Undampori) stacked inside the glass cupboards in the small bakery near the bus stop? Mmmm yummy.. But did you know that it is very easy to make them at home? As easy as making chappati or may be easier. Below is an easy recipe to make bonda.

Makes 7 - 8 medium sized bondas.

 

Ingredients:

Wheat flour : 2 cups

Ripe banana : 6 (small)

Cardamom powder : 1/2 tablespoon

Baking powder : 1/4 teaspoon 

Sugar : as per your taste

Salt : 2 pinches

Water : as required 

Oil : as required (to fry)

 

Method:

Step 1 : Grind banana and sugar in a mixer.

Step 2 : In a mixing bowl add wheat flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom powder. Mix well.

Step 3 : Add banana and sugar paste to the above mixture.

Step 4 : Mix well to form a dough of consistency (not too firm or too loose) where you can hold it in hand and form a ball. Add water if necessary.

Step 5 : Keep the dough in a warm place for three hours to rise. (If you do not want to wait for three hours, jump onto step 6. You can still get a decent bonda)

Step 6 : Heat the oil in a frying pan. Dip your hand in water and take some dough. Shape it into a ball and drop it in the oil. 

Step 7 : Fry it on medium heat until it turns to a dark brown colour.

There you go..the sweet hot bonda is ready to serve with a hot cup of coffee.

Note :  

• You can substitute sugar with jaggery. Dissolve jaggery in half cup water and add instead of sugar. Make sure you don't add too much water. 
• In case your dough is too loose, add a little extra wheat flour to correct the consistency. Add extra water if too firm.

Easy Chicken Biriyani recipe

Psalm 23:1

 

        Here is an easy spicy biriyani recipe to all my newly wed friends. Next time when your hubby wants to invite his friends for dinner at home, don't hesitate. Impress him with this tasty biriyani and let him say with pride "this biriyani is home made"..

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

Basmati rice : 3 cups 

Clove : 6

Cardamom : 4

Cinnamon : 3 medium sticks

Fennel seeds (perumjeerakam) : 1/2 tablespoon

Chicken (cut into big pieces)  : 1 kg

Onion : 3 (big)

Garlic : 8 cloves

Ginger : 1 1/2 inch piece

Green chilli : 2

Turmeric powder : 1/2 tablespoon

Coriander powder : 2 tablespoons

Chilli powder : 1 tablespoon (add as per your taste)

Garam masala : 2 tablespoons (add as per your taste)

Tomato : 1 (big)

Curd : 1/4 cup

Oil  : 2 tablespoons

Ghee : 7 tablespoons

Salt : As per your taste

Coriander leaves : 1 cup

Pudhina leaves : 1 cup

Cashew nut : 1/2 cup

Raisin : 1/2 cup

 

Method:

 Step 1:  

> In a frying pan add 2 tablespoons of ghee. 

> On medium heat roast cashew nut. Remove cashew nut from the pan when it is slightly brown in colour. 

> Now add raisins. When raisins begin to swell remove it from the pan. 

> Add more ghee if needed. Add 1/2 cup chopped onions and fry it until it is golden brown. Remove it from heat.

Step 2 :  

>  In a large vessel add 10 cups of water.

> Add cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and fennel seeds into it. 

> Add a tablespoon of ghee. 

> On medium heat, bring it to boil. 

> When water begins to boil add the washed basmati rice. 

> When rice is half cooked, turn the heat off and strain the rice. 

Our rice is ready. Next we will get the chicken done.

Step 3 :   

> In a pan, on medium heat, add oil and two tablespoons of ghee.

> Add chopped onion, garlic, ginger and green chilli. Stir it until onion turns slightly brown. Turn the heat to low.

> Now add turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. Stir it for 10 seconds. 

> Now add chopped tomato and half cup of water. Add a little salt.

> Close the lid and cook it on medium heat until the tomato is cooked.

> Add chicken pieces.

> Add curd and half of garam masala. Stir well. Cook until chicken is done.

> Add rest of the garam masala and more salt if required and cook it for 2 minutes

Our chicken curry is done. Now let us combine rice and chicken.

Step 4 : 

>  In a large vessel with thick bottom add a layer of chicken curry (a big spoon full). 

> Now add a layer of cooked rice (a big spoon full). 

> Now spread a little from the roasted cashew nut, raisins and onion. 

> Spread some coriander and pudhina leaves.

> Pour a little ghee.

> Repeat the layering until you get all the rice into this vessel.

Step 5 :

> Put the lid of the vessel and heat it over very low flame for 5 to 7 minutes.

Congratulations! Your Biriyani is ready to be served. Serve it hot.

 

Simple mini chocolate cake with chocolate froasting, in microwave oven

Luke 1:37

                          It's a cool Saturday evening. Sipping your coffee, you sit at the veranda watching the rain watering the plants in your garden. It's so good to relax after a week's hard work at the office. Your thoughts wander. Finally you put a break at the birthday party you went to a few weeks back. 'That was a yummy cake', you thought and suddenly you have that strong urge for a cake. Yes, a chocolate cake can go well with this cup of coffee. But it has been a while since you bought a cake. It's heavily raining outside that it's not a good idea to go out to buy cake. What to do now? Luckily there is some cocoa powder at home that your daughter uses to make her chocolate milk. So you take your smart phone, open the youtube and type in 'Chocolate cake recipe' . You select the first video. Good! You have at home all the ingredients they say. Now comes the beating egg, butter part. Hmm it's so time consuming and needs too many mixing bowls and a lot of elbow grease. You had almost decided to drop the plan when you see the final step. Baking the cake in oven and that too for 30mins. So that marks the end of your making-your-own-cake idea. What you have at home is only an ordinary microwave oven. You decide to buy a cake tomorrow suppressing the thought of biting into a piece of sweet, soft, moist chocolate cake. But wait! I have a solution. Yes I do. Trust me friend.

  

             You can easily make a chocolate cake in microwave oven and it doesn't take much time. Below are the ingredients and the method.

Mini Chocolate Cake in Microwave oven Recipe   

Ingredients

All purpose flour (maida) : 3/4 cup

Sugar : 1/2 cup

Cocoa powder : 2 tablespoons

Egg : 1

Milk : 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons)

Butter : 65g (5 tablespoons)

Baking soda : 1/4 teaspoon

Baking powder : 1/4 teaspoon

Vinegar : 1/4 teaspoon

Vanilla essence (optional) : 1/4 teaspoon  
Salt : a pinch

Method

Step 1 : Grease a microwave safe bowl  in which you like to bake the cake using oil or butter and keep it aside.

Step 2 : In a mixing bowl add flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well.

Step 3 : To the above mixture add egg, milk, butter, vinegar and vanilla essence. Combine them well so that there are no lumps. (You can use a hand mixer if available.)

Step 4 : Pour the batter to the greased microwave safe bowl and put it in the microwave at medium setting for about 6 minutes (time depends on your microwave oven).

Step 5 : Take out the cake when it is done. Touch the cake and if its firm and bounces back, its done. Or you can insert a tooth pick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, your cake is done.

Easy Chocolate Frosting using cocoa powder (about 1 cup frosting)

Ingredients 

Cocoa powder : 1/3 cup

Sugar : 1/2 cup

Butter : 1/4 cup

Milk : 3 tablespoons
Vanilla essence : 1/2 teaspoon

Instant coffee powder (optional) : 1/4 teaspoon 

Method

Step 1 : Melt the butter in microwave.

Step 2 : Stir in Cocoa powder while the butter is hot.

Step 3 : Add sugar, vanilla, instant coffee powder and milk. Mix well. (Add more milk if needed, to thin the consistency.)

                 That is it friends. Now you can enjoy a yummy chocolate cake even in the middle of the night. Don't suppress the thought of a chocolatey cake but get baking!