Spegatti with desi tomato and paneer

I made spegatti with desi fresh tomatoes and cottage cheese(paneer)

Ingredients

Spegatti half of a packet

Cheese 100 grams

Paneer 250 grams

Cream 2 tea spoon

Tomato 5

Mushroom 6 to 7

Beans 3 

Long bean a few

Cabbage a few leaves

Carrot 2

Onion 1

Garlic a few pods

Step 1

In a large pan boil water add spegatti to cook.

 Wash vegetables

 Chop all vegetables into thin slices.

 By this time spegatti is cooked in boiling water.

 Saute vegetables beginning with onion, garlic and add rest of them in olive oil, add oregano, thyme,parsley, celery and mix well. Allow the vegetables to cook.

 Drain excess water from spegatti. Keep aside.

 Make fine puree out of cooked tomatoes.

 Spread cooked vegetables in a plate.keep aside.

 Use the same pan for reducing the puree add celery leaves for flavour.

 Grate cheese and paneer

 Once puree is ready add cooked spegatti, mixed vegetables,paneer, cheese and mix well.

 Add a dash of cream

Finally adjust salt add two packets of pizza seasoning and red chili flakes. Mix well serve hot. It's healthy and delicious and kids will love it for lunch or as evening after school snack.

Amla(Nellikkai) pickle

Today made Amla pickle. The recipe is very simple.

All you need is few fresh Amla, oil, red chilli powder, turmeric, jeera powder, dhaniya powder, hing, salt, mustard and methi.

Method of preparation

Wash and boil amla,by adding turmeric(1/2 tsp) and salt use just enough water to immerse Amla for about 15 minutes in low flame. Once cooked, remove seeds from Amla.  In a pan pour oil about 3 tablespoon add mustard seed(1/2 tsp), methi(1/4 tsp) and let mustard splutter. Add amla with the rest of water in which its cooked, mix well, add red chilli powder about 2 teaspoon, jeera and dhaniya powder 1/2 tsp each,  hing a pinch, adjust salt if needed. Preserve in clean, sun dried bottles. Make small quantity at a time as we are not using any preservatives.

Pullikutti uperi with arbi leaves, Moriga leaves mollaguttal, steamed Nendran banana

Pullikutti uperi with arbi leaves, a traditional Palakkad side dish.

Recipe for Pullikutti Uperi

Ingredients

Raw banana - 2
bindi - 10
brinjal - 5 (trim and cut all three vegtable into evenly 2 inch long slices)
Arbi/chembu leaves - wash and cut into two parts in the middle. Roll the leaves and either you can tie thread or toothpick.
salt as required
hing powder - 1/4 tsp
Coconut oil _ 2 tbsp

Tamarind - a gooseberry size (Soak in hot water and pressure cook and extract thick pulp) or you can soak tamarind in hot water for 10 minutes and extract the pulp.

Green chilly - 1(make a small hole)
ginger a small piece
curry leaves a few

Dry roast ( You can keep the rest of this powder)
Raw rice/boiled rice - 2 table spoon
red chilly - 2
methi seeds - a few
Sesame seeds 1/2 tsp
hing/kayam - a small piece

In a dry pan fry all the ingredients in slow fire into crispy golden colour and powder coarsely.

Method of preparation

In a heated kadai pour one teaspoon oil add evenly cut bindi, brinjal cook for about 5 minutes. Now add raw banana, turmeric powder mix well allow it to cook in high flame, keep tossing it now and then. You can sprinkle a little water. Add arbi/chembu leaves and allow the vegetables to cook well by placing a lid on top. But make sure you check the vegetables now and then. Once all the vegetables are cooked well add tamarind pulp allow the pulp to blend well with the cooked vegetables. Add salt, ginger and green chilli. Once all vegetables are 95 % cooked add roasted  rice powder and mix well with the vegetables.This adds great taste to the puli kutti uperi. Off the stove.

In a small pan pour coconut oil add mustard, urad dhal, methi seeds, let it splutter, add curry leaves and pour it on top of prepared Pullikutti uperi. Close the lid after 15 minutes you can serve it.

(I have removed the toothpick before serving. If you are using thread please remove it before serving)

 Note : You can preserve the left over rice powder and use it when you make puli kutti uperi next time!

Drumsticks leaves mollaguttal(Moriya leaves with moong dhal and coconut)

Ingredients

Moong dhal a small cup - wash and cook it in kalchatti(stone vessel)

Drumsticks leaves - a bunch( remove the leaves, wash and cook by adding 2 cups  water and turmeric powder)

Grated coconut 1/2 cup, one dry red chilli, little mustard seeds. A little roasted raw rice. Grind all ingredients together in a mixer by adding a little water.

Method of preparation

Add cooked drumsticks leaves, cooked moong dhal and mix well. Now add coconut paste, salt let it boil. If needed you can add hot water to make it pouring consistency. Adjust salt. Off stove.

In a small pan pour coconut oil, add mustard and urad dhal.let mustard splutter,add one red chilli broken into two piece. Pour tadka on top of prepared Moriga leaves mollaguttal. Serve it with piping hot rice and Pullikutti uperi. Enjoy you cold winter lunch with nutritious moriga leaves mollaguttal and aromatic Pullikutti uperi prepared in kalchatti(stone vessel) Heavenly!!

 Steamed Nendran banana

Ingredients

Ripe Nendran Pazham/banana - 3 (cut into halves)

Elachi - a few (use the outerskin, seeds I have crushed and added to morning tea)

Method of preparation

In a pressure pan add sufficient water and keep steamer. Place Nendran banana, add elachi skin, close the lid. Steam it for about 15 minutes. Serve it along with morning breakfast.

Mixed boiled vegetables

Detoxification after Diwali celebration.

Mixed boiled vegetables

Ingredients

Beetroot 1
Carrot 2
Tomato 2
Long beans a few
Ginger a tiny piece
Green chilli 1
Rock salt a little
Crushed black pepper a little

Method of preparation

Wash peel and chop vegetables into thin long pieces, slit chilli, chop ginger, long bean and tomato into thin slices. Add all vegetables into pressure pan, add 5 cups water, rock salt, ginger and chilli pieces. Close the lid and pressure cook for two whistles. Off the stove, remove boiled steaming hot vegetables into a serving bowl garnish with crushed pepper and enjoy it.

Idli rava kozhakattai with urad, tuvar dal and coconut

Rice dumpling(kozhakattai) with urad dhal,tuvar dhal and coconut.

Ingredients

Idli rava 2 cup
Urad and tuvar dhal a handful each (soaked for an hour and ground into coarse paste with green chilli and ginger, curry leaves )1/2 cup
Salt as per taste

For tadka

Gingly oil(til) 1 tablespoon
urad dhal broken 1 tsp
Red chilli 1 broken into half
Curry leaves a few

Method of preparation

In a heated pan dry roast idli rawa, once it release aroma add urad tuvar paste, add salt and mix well, add hot water about 3 cups. Mix well in medium flame let it cook for about 5 minutes. Off the stove spread the kozhakattai dough into a plate, let it become warm. Make small balls out of it. You can make it perfect round or oval. In an idly vessel add 3 to 4 cups of water keep the idly grid carefully place kozhakattai and close it. Steam for about 15 minutes in medium flame.

Heat a large pan pour gingly(til) oil, mustard and urad dhal. Let mustard crackle, now add one broken chilli. Reduce flame of stove add few curry leaves, grated coconut and mix well. To this add steamed rice dumpling(kozhakattai)  mix gently till tadka get well coated in all rice dumpling(kozhakattai) serve hot with sambhar and chutney.

Paneer,bread and besan balls

Paneer,bread and besan balls for kids evening snack. Healthy and nutritious.

Ingredients
Paneer 200grams
Besan 2 table spoon
Bread 3 slices
Garam masala 1 tsp
Jeera and dhaniya powder 1/2 tsp each
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Salt for taste
Raisins for filling inside the paneer balls.
Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation

In a bowl add crushed paneer,bread,besan and rest of all the dry masalas. Add a little water knead soft dough. Divide into about 20 equal parts, take one part flatten in your hand fill two raisins and roll out into small paneer balls. Heat oil in kadai, keep medium flame,fry till golden brown and serve with green chutney or ketchup.

Pakoda with mixed dals

Pakoda with mixed dals.

A tasty and quick snacks for children.

Ingredients

Channa dal 1/2 cup
Moong dal 1 table spoon
Tuvar dal 2 table spoon
Whole urad dal 2 table spoon
Green chilli 3
Ginger a small piece
Onion one
Garlic a few pods
Saunf 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves a few chopped
Coriander leaves a few choppef
Ajwain leaves a few chopped
Red amarnath leaves a few chopped
Salt for taste
Oil for frying

Method of preparation

Protein rich evening snack for kids. I have added channa dal, tuvar dal,a little moong dal and whole urad dal. Soak all together for about 2 hours. Grind after draining water by adding green chilli, ginger, saunf and salt. I have added little water while grinding as the dals should cook well for kids easy digestion.

Once batter is ready add salt,chopped curry,coriander leaves,garlic, onion, ajwain and red amarnath leaves. I have made a smooth batter and tried frying into different interesting shapes by scoping with a small ladle. Fry till golden brown and spread on a kitchen paper napkin. Made a little coriander chutney to go with the pakodas. Kids loved it.

Variation

I bhave added 1 cup of avarakkai (hyacinth beans seeds) to this recipe and made the fritters in appe pan) it was crispy outside and soft inside.