Malaadu

This is one of the easiest sweets to prepare, gets done in a jiffy & tastes yummy. Made it for this Deepavali & hoping it is a sweet start to more posting on this blog.

Ingredients

Roasted Bengal gram 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Cashew nuts chopped finely
Cardamom powder about 1/2 tsp
Ghee or clarified butter

Get Cooking!

1. Powder the roasted Bengal gram in a blender – not too fine, not too coarse.
2. Powder the sugar if using crystallised sugar
3. In some ghee, roast the chopped cashew nuts till they are golden brown
4. Blend in the powdered dal, sugar, roasted cashew nuts and cardamom powder
5. Warm up the ghee a little such that it is in liquid form
6. Add in just a little ghee to the powder mix just enough so one can ball up the powder. The ball must be firm & not break into powder.
7. As and when needed add in the ghee and make the powder into laddus.

Tips

Make sure you don’t add in too much ghee such that it becomes too gooey. Adding in the ghee little by little as one makes the laddus does the trick.

Kerala Vegetable Stew (Coconut milk based)

Ingredients
Carrot – 1 (cubed)
Potato – 1 (cubed)
Green Peas – ¼ – ½ cup
Finely sliced onion – 1
Green chilli – 4-5
Ginger & Garlic – 1 tbsp each, crushed
Whole black pepper – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon – 1 piece
Cloves – 3
Cardamom – 3
Thin coconut milk – 1 ½ cup
Thick coconut milk – ½ – ¾  cup
Curry leaves
Salt
Coconut oil

Get Cooking!
1. Heat oil in a deep bottom pan & splutter the crushed spices (pepper ,cinnamon, cloves, cardamom) .
2. Add the onion, ginger & garlic, curry leaves & green chillies. Sauté for a few minutes till the onion becomes soft/transparent. Do not let the onions turn brown.
3. Add the vegetables (carrot, potatoes, peas)  & mix well.
4. Add thin coconut milk & salt, bring to boil, reduce heat; simmer and cook till vegetables are tender, it will take 10 mins approx.
5. Add thick coconut milk and cook for 5 more minutes & remove from fire. Garnish with curry leaves fried in coconut oil or ghee.

Tips
If you want to make the gravy very thick, add 1 tbsp of cashew paste. To make cashew paste, soak cashews (around6,7) in hot water for 5-10 mins. Grind it into a smooth paste. Mix the cashew paste with thick coconut milk & add to the curry. It increases the taste and also gives a thick gravy

Sprouts Pulao

This is a healthy combination of rice and sprouted legumes that provides protein, iron, folic acid and vitamin C.
Cooking Time 15 mins
Preparation Time 20 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients
cooked long grained rice – 1 cup
sprouted legumes, parboiled – 1 cup
cloves -2
Asafoetida powder – 1/4 tsp
Green chilli – 1 chopped
grated ginger – 1 tsp
Capsicum – 1/2 chopped
Spring Onions – 4 to 6 chopped
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder -1 tsp
Dhania powder – 1 tsp
Oil/ghee – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Tomato – 1 chopped
Chopped cilantro – 2 tbsp

Get Cooking!
1. Heat the oil/ghee; add the cloves, asafoetida and sauté for a few seconds.
2. Add the green chilli, ginger, capsicum and spring onions. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes
3. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhania powder and the sprouts and mix well
4. Add 1/4 cup water, salt and simmer over a slow flame till the sprouts are cooked.
5. Add the rice and toss well.
6. Serve hot, garnished with chopped tomato and cilantro

Tips
I added in roasted cashews, raisins & grated carrots – extra nutrition? Tried it with even some paneer cubes.

Alu Bath

Ingredients
Potatoes – peeled & cubed
Rice
Salt
Turmeric powder
Cumin seeds
Green chillies – slit
Curry leaves
Asafoetida
Oil

Get Cooking!
1. Wash the rice and drain the excess water. Keep aside.
2. In a little oil, sauté the potatoes till they are golden brown.
3. In a wok, heat a little oil. Add the cumin seeds,some curry leaves,slit green chillies.
4. Toss the potatoes & washed rice in.
5. Add the salt, turmeric powder. Mix everything in.
6. Transfer into a vessel and pressure the rice.

Tips
You could add some roasted peanuts and/or cashew nuts to the rice. One could reduce the green chillies and add red chilli powder instead.  This comes out great if the rice is open cooked instead of pressure cooking it – though pressure cooking is good too 🙂 Sometimes, I like to cut the potatoes like french fries and fry them up before making this rice (yummy 😉 ) Basmati rice works good or any long grain rice can be used.