Dal Shorba

Dal Shorba is delicious and as well as healthy dish because it contains large amount of healthy nutrients. Here shorba made with the yellow moong dal. The use of green chilies and chilli powder makes it a spicy treat though you can adjust the spiciness according to your taste. You can add any chopped boiled vegetables to this shorba and make it a healthy treat for the whole family. Adding fresh coriander leaves, lemon juice and asafoetida seasoning in the end enhances the flavor of this mild legume.

Ingredients

yellow moong dal 3/4 cup

Chopped onions-1/2 cup

Chopped tomatoes-1/2 cup

Chopped carrot-1/2 cup

chopped garlic -1 tbsp

Chopped ginger -1/2 tsp

Green chilli-1 slit

Chilli powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp

Garam masala-1 tsp

Salt -as per taste

bay leaf-1

butter--1 tbsp

lemonjuice-1 tsp(optional)

Method:

1.Heat one tbsp of ghee in a pressure cooker on medium heat and sauté garlic cloves, bay leaf, and chopped onions till turn pink. Add chopped tomato, carrot, chopped green chillies,,  salt turmeric powder, garam masala red chili powder and fry for 2-3 minutes.

 2. Discard bay leaf and add washed Moong Dal along with 4 cups of water. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.

3.When cold, blend the dal mixture to a smooth puree. Add more water according to the required consistency and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Adjust salt ,spices as per the taste.

4.Heat 1 tbsp butter in a small pan, add cumin seeds. When they stop spluttering, add asafoetida and pour the seasoning over the simmering soup. Remove from flame

5.Drizzle lemon juice. Garnish with some more butter, and few cilantro leaves and serve hot.

 

Chocolate Burfi

Chocolate Maida Burfi is a popular aromatic and delicious dish. It requires very few easily available ingredients made with maida flour, sugar, cocoa powder, milk and ghee. It is so easy to make.For this Diwali I tried this Double layer burfi.Wishing you all a Very Happy Diwali!

Ingredients

For white layer (vanilla layer)

Maida - 1 cup

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Vanilla essense -  1/4 tsp

For Choco layer

Maida - 1 cup

ghee - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Choco powder (unsweetened) - 5 tsp

 

Method

1.Keep a tray greased well, ready.

2.In a pan heat ghee until it is really hot and reduce the flame and add maida and fry it nicely until you get nice aroma without changing its color.It will need 3-4 mins approximately.Let it cool a bit. The flour should be mixed well with the ghee

3.In another heavy bottomed pan, add sugar and 1/2 cup water. Boil until one string consistency. Its very important to get one string consistency.

4.Add Maida and vanilla essence to it and, switch off the flame. Mix well to a smooth pasteand keep stirring until the mixture thickens nicely and starts leaving the pan which indicates that it is ready.

5.Quickly transfer the mixture to the lined/greased pan and quickly spread it to 1 cm thickness by using a greased cup or ladle

Second layer:

1.Now follow the same process of heating ghee, add maida and mix well. Now add coco powder to it. Mix well and keep aside.

2.Prepare sugar syrup for one string consistency same as step 2 and add the coco mixture to it. Mix well off the fire  and keep stirring.

3.When the mixture gets thick, pour it over the vanilla layer. Spread same as before to a smooth level using acup or laddle. 
4.Let it set for atleast 1/2 hr and then cut into desired shape with a knife. Invert and tap gently over another tray to get the pieces separately. Next is to cut into desired shapes and enjoy.

Cashew Murukku

Cashew Murukku is a rich, crunchy and delicious murukku prepared with rice flour and cashew paste. Compared to all other murukku’s this one is extra delicious with the addition of the cashew makes  this murukku so flavorful and crunchy.. This cashew murukku is perfectly crispy and love to have it as an evening snack along with a cup of hot chai/coffee.

Ingredients:

  Rice flour - 1 Cup

  Cashew - 20

 Jeera- 1 tsp

 Ghee - 1 Tbsp

 Salt - 1tsp (adjust per taste)

Water - as needed

 Asafoetida - small pinch

 Oil - for frying

 

METHOD:

1.Soak the cashew nuts in a little water for 15 mins and then grind it to a smooth paste along with the water. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients-flour, jeera, asafoetida, salt and ghee.

2.Mix thoroughly and crumble everything well. Then Add the ground cashew paste to the mixing bowl. Mix well. Then sprinkle a little bit of water, as needed, to make a soft and smooth dough. The dough should not be too thick or too thin.

3.Take a little portion of the dough into a greased murukku press. Press and form the murukku shapes onto a butter  paper. Now press the murukku batter on butter paper in a circular motion

4.Heat oil in a deep frying pan over medium flame.. Now gently drop the murukku into the oil. Deep fry 2 to 3 murukku at a time. Do not overcrowd.

5.Let it cook on low flame till it turns crispy. Then gently turn to the other side and let it cook till bubbling stops. Now remove and place it on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil.

6.Repeat the process with remaining murukku batter. Let it cool and store it in an airtight container. Enjoy with a cup of hot tea/coffee

Thiripagam (Forgotten traditional Sweet of Tirunelveli)

Over the years some of the traditional special dishes have gone out of fashion that are no longer found in our homes Tirunelveli is known for the delicious sweet "Halwa". But there are many forgotten recipe of sweets which was prominent in Tirunelveli, which is my native. I remember enjoying this special sweet called 'Thiripagam' during my teenage days. It used to be available in LALA sweet shops wrapped in a butter paper. This is one of the old forgotten recipes from Tirunelveli kitchen. but I wasn't clear about this recipe. while surfing I got this recipe from here and here. I tried this traditional sweet  which is simply divine and scrumptious is a treat for your tastebuds!  

This sweet Thiripagam, – which means three parts, where the name must have come from the three main ingredients – bengal gram flour, ghee and milk. This sweet has an additional inclusion of milk to the besan with oozing Ghee which melts in your mouth within seconds. In addition to that Saffron  and edible camphor that gives flavour  and has an amazing aroma and makes this sweet unique. This  dessert is shaped in rectangles or squares and wrapped in butter paper make this sweet elegant and graceful looking. This traditional sweet I bet these have to be everyone's favourite! Every spoonful of this yummy delicacy is a sheer delight for Diwali occasion!

 

Ingredients for making Thiripagam:

  Besan Flour 1 cup

  Milk -2 cups

  Sugar -1  1/2 cups

  Ghee 3/4 cup

  Saffron strings 6 to 8 soaked in 1/4 cup of warm milk 
 Edible Camphor / Pachai Karpooram a small pinch

 

Method:

1.Sieve kadalai maavu/bengal gram flour and keep ready.Warm milk and mix the saffron strands

2. In a bowl, mix the sieved flour, sugar, 1/2 cup clarified butter and milk with saffron – without lumps.

3.Heat a heavy bottomed pan and keep in mild flame. Pour the milk mixer in to it and stir continuously breaking the lumps

4.Keep stirring till all sugar is dissolved and when it starts boiling, simmer the burner The batter would reach a thicker consistency

5.Add the soaked saffron milk. Start adding the ghee right from now at intervals.

6.Keep stirring till the stuff becomes thick like paste again. OnceIt will reach the right consistency and not sticking to the pan add the edible camphor and switch off the pan.

7.Spread the Thribagam in a greased plate and cut into rectangular/square piece when warm

8.Take cookie sheets and cut into squares enough to fold the thiripagam pieces

Place the piece inside the cookie sheet and fold into beautiful squares. Thiripagam is ready