Thinai Sarkarai Pongal | Millet Sweet Pongal | Pongal Recipes | Millet Recipes

At times all you need is something healthy. At times all you need is something comforting and at times all you need is some sarkarai pongal. Sarkarai pongal to me is simply home... Amma's sarkarai pongal is the best. It hits every note right, not overpoweringly sweet, the right amount of ghee, correct consistency and is perfection in every aspect. My son loves sarkarai pongal and I make it a point to make it for him once every two weeks and sometimes I sneak in healthiness like this, by subbing the rice for millet. He never finds a difference and its a win-win for both of us. You can use any kind of millet here - kodo, jowar, barnyard or anything.

~*What U Need*~ Fox millet / Thinai - 1/2 cup Moongdal - 1/4 cup Jaggery - 1/2 - 3/4 cup Saffron - 4 to 5 strands Cardamom - 2 to 3 crushed Cashewnuts - a handful Raisins - 1 tbsp Ghee - 2 to 3 tbsp Water - as needed How I Made it: Wash and soak the millet and set aside. Heat 1/2 tsp ghee in the pressure cooker and fry the moongdhal till it turns light brown. Add the soaked and drained millet to this, add 2 1/2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Meanwhile, heat the jaggery with 2-3 tbsps of water till the jaggery melts. Strain the syrup and set aside. Once the pressure subsides, remove the lid, add the strained jaggery syrup and heat the mixture in medium heat for 3 - 4 mins. Remove from the flame. Roast the nuts and raisins in ghee. Add the nuts, ghee, saffron and cardamom to the pongal and mix well.

Serve warm.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,
Vimitha
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Mango Sago Kheer | Mango Javvarisi Payasam

Hi my friends, how are things going on at your end? Life has been pretty hectic. We moved back from the US and still haven't got the hang of things. The weather was too much for us that I came to my parents' house in Nagercoil for the kid's summer vacay. Time seems to be flying with friends and family visits happening every now and then. The kid is enjoying to the fullest whereas I am eating to my fullest.

This kheer happened when my mama's family came to visit us. Making the dessert fell upon me and since mangoes are in season and there was this fully ripened mango smiling at me from the fruit basket, this is what I came up with. This payasam is perfect for the season, mildly sweet and slightly thick with the light hint of mango. I would suggest to serve this chilled because it brings out the flavors.

~*What U Need*~ Sago / Javvarisi - 1/2 cup Milk - 2 cups Water - 1 cup Mango - 1, peeled and pureed Sugar - 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup Ghee - 2 tsp Cashews - 6 to 7 broken Dried grapes - 10 Cardamom - 3 Chopped mango pieces - 1/4 cup How I Made it: Soak the sago in water for 15 to 20 mins. Rinse and drain the sago. Add this to 1 cup of water and boil till the sago turns clear or cooked. Add milk and boil for 5 to 7 mins. Add sugar to taste and boil for an additional 5 mins. Add the mango puree. Bring it to a brief boil, add crushed cardamom and switch off the flame. Heat ghee in a pan, saute the cashews and kismis and add this to the kheer. Serve chilled topped with chopped mango pieces.

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With Love,
Vimitha
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Christmas Fruit Cake | Kerala Fruit Cake

I made this cake two days before Christmas, stored it carefully feeding it with rum every day and then on the D day, I shared it with friends, devoured it to hearts content and then totally forgot about it. Today when I was going through my food pics, I found this and I came to realize that I had missed posting this for Christmas. Well now that I have found it, I am not going to spare another moment to share this recipe with you. Its the best and just like all other christmas cakes it gets better and better. I have been following this recipe for the past 2 years but each time I use a different pan and do not flour it believing that the non stick coating would do its job but finally I would end up with the cake sticking to the pan. So this time I made it a point to grease the pan, line the pan with parchment paper and grease and flour the pan too. And look how neat and yummy the cake looks!!!

Recipe adapted from here ~*What U Need*~ For soaking the dried fruits Dry fruits - 1 1/2 cups ~ Raisins, dates, pineapple, apricot, cranberries, dried papaya, dates, almonds, cashews Rum - as needed (I used CaptianMorgans. U need to immerse the fruits completely in rum and then refill as and when you find the amount reducing) Caramel syrup - 2 tbsp (2tbsp sugar + 1 tbsp water) For Caramel Syrup to be used in cake Sugar - 3/4 cup Water - 2 tbsp Hot water - 6 tbsp For the cake: Butter - 1/2 cup, room temp Powdered sugar - 1 1/4 cups Eggs - 2, separated All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups Baking powder - 1 tsp Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Coarsely powdered nuts - 1/2 cup(almonds and walnuts) Orange Zest - 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp Clove powder - 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp Jeera powder - 1/4 tsp Ginger powder - 1/4 tsp How I Made it: Heat 2 tblsp sugar with 1 tsp water on medium heat until the sugar melts and browns up. Take off the heat and carefully add the water and stir well. Atleast 2 weeks in advance , chop all the dry fruits and place them in an airtight container. Pour the rum on top of it, add the caramel syrup and allow to soak. On the day of baking, heat 3/4 cup of sugar with 2 tbsp water in a saucepan. The sugar will start melting. COntinue heating till the syrup turns brown or almost black in color. Take it off the stove and add the hot water and stir well. Allow to cool. Preheat oven to 350F and grease your cake pan. Sift together all the dry ingredients with the spices. Add the powdered nuts, mix well and keep aside. Beat the butter with powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolks one at a time and mix well until well incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients slowly and mix until combined. Add the Vanilla essence, orange zest and Caramel syrup and combine everything together. Strain the rum soaked fruits (save the rum), and coat the fruits with some all-purpose flour and add the fruits into the cake batter. Fold the fruits into the cake evenly. Beat the Egg Whites until soft peaks form, add powdered sugar and continue to beat until the peaks look stiff and glossy. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the cake center comes out clean. After taking the cake out from the oven, immediately pour 2-3tblsp of the saved rum over the cake. Allow the cake to cool for 15 mins and then flip the cake pan onto a wire-rack. Once cooled brush the sweet rum all over the cake. Keep the cake covered with aluminium foil/plastic wrap and brush the cake with more Rum everyday until you cut the cake.

Serve with love!!!

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Chettinad Chicken Curry

Something about frozen chicken doesn't spell and taste chicken to me. It lacks taste and texture. I have even switched to organic farm fresh chicken but still its not the same. Bottom line is that whatever you do you just cant pull the flavors that you need to come out of it. Unless you make a spice laden flavor packed chicken curry like this chettinadu version. All that spices that you throw into the curry is what flavors the chicken and makes it succulent. As for this chettinad chicken curry, I wouldn't say that it is authentic and perfect but it tastes good with a whiff of that authentic taste. To achieve that perfection use small onions instead of regular onions.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, finely chopped Tomato - 1, chopped Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp Chicken - 1 lb, cleaned, bone-in Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped Mint leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped To roast and grind: Coconut - 4 tbsp Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp Red chilli - 1 To grind to a smooth paste: Onion - 1/4 cup Green chilli - 1 Yogurt - 1 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp To Temper Oil - 1-2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp 2 cloves, 1" cinnamon, 2 cardamon, 1 bayleaf Curry leaves - 1 sprig How I Made it: Clean the chicken thoroughly and set aside. You can marinate this in yogurt, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and ginger garlic paste for 30 mins. Grind the ingredients under smooth paste. Roast and grind the coconut, cashew nuts, fennel seeds and chilli. Heat oil in a kadai, temper with fennel seeds, spices and curry leaves. Add the onions and saute well till brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and cook till becomes soft. Add the curry leaves, ground onion paste and saute for 2 mins. Add the roast coconut paste and cook for another 4-5 mins till the mixture becomes thick. Add the chicken, mix well and cook till the chicken leaves water. Add 1/2 cup water and cook til the chicken is completely cooked. Simmer till you get the desired consistency and the mixture leaves oil. Add coriander leaves, mint leaves and season with salt. Remove from flame.

Serve hot with rice /idli/dosa!!!

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Pasi Paruppu Payasam | Parippu Payasam

With the dreaded winter setting in, days seem to be moving slowly and I just don't want to move away from the couch. A good book, a cup of hot chocolate and a calm house is what I am craving for every day. It is on days like these that I crave for amma and her food. I am really bored, bored of eating my own food and outside food is just not right. Even a simple curd rice sounds way better.

When amma reminded me of Kathigai deepam, all I could think about was something simple but delicious like this paruppu payasam because as I said I am really lazy to move my *** and this payasam just takes 10 mins which is just right for a lazy me.

HAPPY KARTHIGAI DEEPAM

~*What U Need*~ Pasi paruppu/moong dal - 1/2 cup, heaped Jaggery - 1/4 cup Milk - 1/2 cup, whole milk Water - as needed Ghee - 1 tsp Cardamom - 1, crushed Cashews - 4-6, broken How I Made it: Fry moong dal with ghee until golden brown and roasted. Add water and milk and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Mash the dal but do not make it too mushy. Add the powdered jaggery and boil for 2 mins in low flame. Add milk/water to adjust the consistency. Fry the cashews in little ghee and add to the payasam. Remove from flame.

Serve warm!!!

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Mango Milkshake Popsicles | Mango Popsicles

I know that this is not the season for popsicles. Its freezing cold here but I am one nutcrack who loves to eat ice-cream or gelato or popsicles when it is snowing outside. I love mango milkshakes, mango lassi, mango icecream or simply anything that has a hint of mango in it because mango makes anything and everything sweet. And these mango popsicles are no less. And more of all, these are way better than the store-bought ones. They are fresh, made from scratch and made from ingredients that you know.

~*What U Need*~ Mango Pulp - 1 cup, I used sweetened alphonso Sugar - 2 tbsp Whole Milk - 1 cup Cardamom powder - a pinch How I Made it: Blend everything in a mixer. Pour into popsicle moulds and freeze until firm. To remove from molds, show under running tap water for 2-3 mins and then remove.

Serve with love!!!

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Easy Rasmalai | Ricotta Rasmalai | American rasmalai

Sweets are my weakness but I am not a sweet tooth. Well thats confusing, I know. Let me explain. I am not a person who is in desperate need of a dessert after every meal but when there is an availability I enjoy it to the fullest. I love gulab jamun with icecream and gajar ka halwa with ice cream and then there is rasmalai for which I am the greatest fan on earth, the one thing that I craved for during and after pregnancy. This recipe is the cheat's method to make rasmalai. Well it can never scale up to the original version where you have to knead the chenna, cook it and then dunk it in the ras . But for the 30 mins of labor that you put in, it yields good flavors.

~*What U Need*~ For the cheese discs: Whole milk Ricotta cheese - 15 oz Sugar - 1/4 cup Cardamom - 2 For the ras/syrup: Evaporated milk - 1 can Sweetened condensed milk - 1/4 cup Whole milk - 1/2 cup Sugar - 2 tbsp, ground with 2 cardamom Cashews, Almonds, pista - 1/4 cup, coarsely chopped How I Made it: Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Powder 1/4 cup of sugar and cardamom and mix them with ricotta cheese. In a muffin pan, divide this mixture equally and bake for 20- 25 minutes until it is set. Let cool completely, and remove from pan. To make the syrup In a sauce pan, boil the evaporated milk , whole milk. Simmer on low flame and add the condensed milk and sugar. Simmer till the desired consistency is reached. Add the nuts, mix well and cool to room temperature. Add the cheese discs and chill overnight.

Serve chilled!!!

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Chettinad Chicken Masala

Belated Diwali wishes to all my readers. I am really sorry for not sharing any sweets or savories for this Diwali. I was a bit held up last week but in a good way. I was asked to bake the birthday cake for a lil one. The theme was Cars and the cake that the birthday boy chose was Lightning mcqueen. He wanted a 3D version of the cake and since it was my first time I was skeptical to take up the task. But then the huss encouraged me all the way and yeah I made it. A two tiered Lightning mcqueen cake covered with fondant and decorated with fondant accents. The cake was a big hit and everyone ~ of all the kids totally loved the cake.

Coming to this recipe, Diwali is never complete without a biryani and chicken side dish for us. And so I thought of sharing this delicious and spicy chettinad chicken masala for the day. Chettinad cuisine mostly use pearl onions in the cooking and thats what gives this dish its signature taste. I have used both pearl onions or regular onions to make this dish and both taste awesome but the former always triumphs. And here's the recipe.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, large, finely chopped/small onions - 10-12 Tomato - 1, chopped Garlic - 3, chopped To marinate the chicken: Chicken - 1 lb Red chilli powder - 1 tso Chicken curry powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Yogurt - 2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp To Grind: Onion - 1, medium, chopped/small onions - 10 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp To grind: Coconut - 3 tbsp Cashews - 2 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp For tempering: Oil - 3 tbsp Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp Cloves - 2 Cinnamon - 1 inch Cardamom - 2 Bay leaf - 1 small Curry leaves - 1 sprig Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped - to garnish How I Made it: Wash the chicken and mix it with all the ingredients under to marinate. Set aside for 30 mins. Grind the ingredients under to grind separately. Heat oil in a pan, when it gets heated add the ingredients under tempering and fry it. Ad chopped onions, garlic and saute until onion turn light golden brown. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and saute till soft and mushy. Add the ground onion paste and saute for 2-3 mins. Add marinated chicken and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Cook till 3/4 th done. Season with salt. Add the ground coconut paste and saute till the raw smell goes off and the chicken is cooked. Add the coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve with rice/dosa!!!

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Mango Kulfi | Easy Sweet Recipes

I love kulfis. To describe them simple, kulfis are frozen rabris which is nothing but reduced sweetened milk. Kulfis remind me of my maternity days because I had a very big craving for these beauties when I was pregnant and the small kulfi stall in our office canteen was always my savior. They sold the best kulfis and I used to have one every week. I made these kulfis last week when those memories hit me. I had some canned mango pulp on hand and it found its way into the milk mixture to make these amazing mango kulfis.

~*What U need*~ Evaporated milk - 1 can Whole milk - 1/2 cup Sugar - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Mango pulp - 1/2 cup, I used sweetened so skipped the 2 tbsp sugar Almonds, Cashews - 1/4 cup Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp How I Made it: In a wide pan, add the evaporated milk and whole milk and bring it to a boil. Reduce the flame and simmer for 6-7 mins. Add sugar and boil for 2-3 mins. Reduce the flame to low and add the mango pulp. Stir till dissolved. Add ground almonds and cashews and mix slowly for 5-6 mins. Add cardamom and remove from flame. Cool and pour into moulds. Refrigerate overnight till set.

Serve cool!!!

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Ambur Chicken Biryani | Ambur Style Chicken Biryani

To the huss weekends are never complete without a plate of chicken biryani. So if I don't make biryanis in the weekend I make it a point to make some by middle of the week. This biryani happened like that. We are not spice lovers, well we like it but we generally prefer mild spices in our food. The ambur version of biryani never fits our bill. Its super spicy and the color of the biryani screams spiciness when you even look at it. This is my version of the ambur biryani cos I have used my own strategies to reduce the spice level. But if you are in for the game then skip the cashew paste in the recipe, reduce the yogurt to 1/4 cup and add more chillies as per your spice level.

Prep time: 10 mins; Cooking time: 40 mins; Serves - 3-4 ~*What U Need*~ Chicken - 1 lb, with bone Oil - 2 tbsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Onions - 1, large, sliced Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp Coriander Leaves - a handful, chopped Mint Leaves - a handful, chopped Tomatoes - 1 large, chopped Thick yogurt - 1/2 cup Biryani rice - 1 1/2 cups Water - 2 cups To grind: Cashews - 5-6, whole To grind separately: Red chillies - 2, seeds removed For biryani masala: Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1" Cardamom - 2 Star anise - 1/2 Cloves - 2 How I Made it: Wash and soak the rice. Soak the red chillies in hot water for 5 mins. Drain and make it into a smooth puree. Set aside. Grind the cashews and set aside. Heat oil in a kadai. Add 1 bay leaf and fry for a min. Add the onions and saute well. Once golden brown, add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and fry well. Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves and saute for a min. Add the fresh biryani powder and saute well. Add the cleaned chicken pieces and mix well. Now add the chilli paste and fry till the chicken is half cooked. Add the cashew paste and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the yogurt and mix well. Add water and the drained rice. Add 2tbsp ghee, give it a stir and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Open the lid and fluff the rice.

Serve with some raitha!!!

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Mughalai Chicken Biryani

By now, you should have known about our love for biryanis. When I say its biryani for lunch or dinner, the boys keep chanting the term till they get some on their plates... I love trying new biryani varieties when the mood sets in and it happened again last week.
It was a weekday and pappu was sound asleep taking his afternoon nap... I felt like doing something and reading a book didn't help... The kitchen seemed to be the destination and biryani the solution... I was going through my biryani booklet when I came upon this mughalai biryani.. The richness called my name and I didn't waste another minute resting on my couch...

~*What U Need*~ Chicken - 500 gm, cleaned Onion - 1, large, sliced Tomato - 1, large, sliced Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup Mint leaves - 1/4 cup Oil/ Ghee - 2 tbsp Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups To grind to a paste: Cashew - 1/4 cup Almonds - 1/4 cup Poppy seeds - 2 tbsp Yogurt - 1 tbsp For Briyani Masala Powder: Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1" Cardamom - 2 Star anise - 1/2 Cloves - 2 How I Made it: Dry roast the ingredients under biryani masala and grind in a coffee grinder. Soak the rice in enough water. Grind cashews, almonds, poppy seeds and yogurt to a smooth paste. In a pressure cooker, heat oil and fry the green chilli. Add the onions and saute till brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Add the tomatoes and fry till oil separates. Add the spice powders and biryani masala powder. Add the chopped coriander and mint leaves followed by the chicken. Once the chicken is half cooked and leaves water add the ground cashew paste and mix well. Add the soaked rice and water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Serve hot!!!

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