May 15, 2009

Lemon pickle,easy way


We get so many pickles in the market.But they are commercialised.Health conscious people think twice before consuming.Home made pickles have their own merit and it is always welcome.


Ingredients:

Lemon---2 numbers
Redchilly powder---3tab.sp
Asafotida---1tea.sp
Fenugreek powder---1tea.sp
Salt----2tab.sp

oil---1tab.sp

Method:

Wash and cut the lemon in to small pieces.
Remove the seeds.
Add all the other ingredients to it.
Mix well and cover it.
Keep it in the pressure cooker and cook it for 3 sounds.Take it out.
Heat the oil. Pour the oil over the lemon and mix well.
Pickle is ready.

Tips:

As we keep chilly powder and salt ready,same way dry roast some fenugreek and powder it in a blender and keep ready.
When we make dosa,we can add little of this powder,the taste of the dosa is doubled.
When we make buttermilk kuzhambu,we can use this to add flavor.

Fenugreek is very good for health.

May 14, 2009

Kerala puttu


Puttu is a prominent recipe of Kerala.When I was a small girl ,about 8 years old,my aunty she was in Kerala then,she mentioned of this puttu.My mother and my elder brothers wanted to make this.Those days it was a laborious one as we have to make it from the scratch.We neither had  blender nor ready made rice flour available in the market.In the traditional way,rice flour was made ready.It took one day as the rice was to be soaked and then dried and powdered with ulakkai(a long cylindrical piece of wood used to crush rice and other things)Next day it was dry roasted till brown.There was no puttu making pot ( An aluminium pot  with a cylindrical almunium tube of width 21/2 inches diameter  and 9inches in length on top  which has a holed small plate inside and covered at the top with a plate of 3 holes)

My brothers cut a bamboo 9 inches in length.Both bottom and top were wide open.Take a small pot and boiled water in it .Small aluminium cup which fits in to the pot was taken and made holes in it with a nail.Over this the bamboo piece was placed and tied nicely with a cloth so that no steam escaped out except through the holes.The bamboo tube was filled with rice powder and coconut alternately to the brim.Then a plate with holes,an oil strainer was placed over.After 10 minutes the puttu was ready.It tasted awesome.It was really worth the labour.My brothers were very proud of their endeavour.

After marrying ,when I settled in Kerala,I saw my neighbour making this puttu so easilywith a readymade puttu machine with ready made powder.

Then one of my friends showed me to make this with a coconut shell.

Now a days ready made powders are available making the job much easier.

It is very delicious and a much filling one.We can make it easily.

Ingredients:

Rice powder---3cups

Shredded coconut----1cup

Salt to taste.

Method:

Dry roast the rice powder in a thava till the colour changes without any oil.  

Take 1to 11/2 cup of boiled and then cooled water.

Add little by little in to the rice powder and mix it.

When we hold it ,it holds and when we scatter it ,it separates.That should be the status of the mixture.

Take a coconut shell (top one with 3 eyes),pierce one hole thoroughly so that it can be placed over the pressure cooker.

First put water in a cooker and close it and heat it

Then take the husk ,put little coconut,then the rice mixture,then again coconut till the brim of the shell.The bottom layer and the top layer should be coconut.

Place it over the cooker and cover it with a plate with holes.(You can either use the one we use for oil strainer or the idly thattu or take the aluminium foil 1foot ,fold it so that we get a squarewith little thickness and make on it some 10 holes)

When you see steam coming out through these holes puttu is ready.

Tips:

Instead of rice,we can use wheat powder or ragi powder.

Before using we should dry roast the powder nicely.

If you find this coconut shell difficult,mix the coconut also along with the rice powder

and just put this on idly thattu pressing lightly and cook as you cook idly.


May 12, 2009

Zucchini kootu


Vegetarian  dishes are always easy to make ,filling and good for health.When we are very busy attending so many other activities,we may not get time to do grocery in time.

One day in such a situation,I had only 3 or 4 zucchinis left in the fridge.My grand children were very hungry.

Just for a change,I cut the zucchinis and made a kootu.

It turned out well and the children as well as the adults relished it.

I wish you also try it and give me comments.

Ingredients:

Zucchini--2numbers

Turmeric powder--1/4tea.sp.

Chana dhal----1tb.sp

Shredded coconut--3tb.sp

Jeera--1/2tea.sp

Green chilly--1(very small)

salt to taste.

Urad dhal--1tea.sp

Mustard---1/2tea.sp

oil--1/4 tea.sp

Method:

Wash and cut the zucchinis into small pieces.Put it in a shallow pan with the chana dhal. Cook it for 5 minutes with little water and the turmeric powder.Add salt.

Ground  coarsely 2/3 of the coconut with  green chilly and Jeera . Add this to the zucchini and mix well

Just saute the remaining coconut to brown  colour

Season it with roasted urad dhal and mustard.