Pather Beni (Indian-festival-Sweet)

A sweet from the Bengal (I believe, although I cannot vouch for his evolution there !),can be made with variations by adding food colors , different shapes can be a favorite with kids ! I remember having scored a A+ grade when we had to make one in my college while during my Food & Nutrition. I vow a lot to this than just putting it in my blog!!

Ingredients:
Maida - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 cup
Rice Flour - 1 tsp
Dessicated Cocconut - 2 tbsp
Ghee -2tsp + 1 tsp



Method:

1. Mix 1tsp Ghee and Maida.

2. Add sugar to 2 tsp Ghee and beat well.

3.Make a sugar syrup by adding water to sugar (Add water to a level that the sugar is totally submerged in water). Boil to one thread. Add Elaichi Powder and Saffron.

4.Make small puri's.Coat a layer of rice mixture and paste another puri over it.In similar way add 5-6 puri one over another. then roll it and cut into pieces.

5. Take one piece and make a small puri.

6. Fry in ghee and dip in sugar syrup.Sprinkle with desiccated cocconut.

Note * This can be stored for almost a week.

Tomato Rasam Recipe (Dal-Lenthil Recipe)

Nothing to beat the chilling winter better than with a piping hot cup of rasam {I have learnt to love the tangy hot "rasam" as a starter, thanks to my Punjabi friends,who get aghast when I ask them to have it with rice}.Ofcourse, we tamilian know it better with rice, but in Northern India, I recall my friends bidding for it against all starters in cold mellow winter afternoons !


Ingredients

Tomato-2 nos
Whole red chilli-3
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Peppercorn-1/2 tsp
Garlic-5 flakes
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Mustard-1/2 tsp
Aestafoida (Hing)-a pinch
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt
Oil
Water -3 cup



Method :

1.Grind red chill,peppercorn,cuminseed,garlic and Turmeric powder.Don't grind into fine paste.Crush {Do not grind it to powder state, it has to half ground} it in mixer without adding water.

2.Mash the tomato.

3.Pour oil in a kadai/pan.Add mustard and allow it to crackle.Following this add ground ingredients,mashed tomato and Hing/aestafotedia.Saute for 4 min.

4.Now add curry leaves and pour water and salt.

5.Garnish with coriander leaves

6.Serve with boiled rice.

Fruits Salad (mayonnaise-base)

This is a unconditional favorite for dinner. It’s a salad I tried, when I a strong liker of “Coleslaw” but just that having it regularly got me a little disinterested. I managed a successful variation, very carefully with the proportions though, but was delighted when it came out a winner!
All the vegetable - carrots, potatoes and peas are bolied in water with salt and pepper.This gives a flavour to every single piece of those vegetables in salad.



Ingredients:

Potato dices - 1 cup
Peas - 1/2cup
Carrot - 1 cup
Peach - 1 cup
Apple - 1 cup
Groundnut - 1 tbsp
Pepper - 6-7 (crushed)
Mayonnaise - to taste
Mustard sauce - to taste
Honey - 1 tbsp

Method :

1. Boil Potato's , carrot's and pea's separately in such texture that its not over cooked but still remains firm and soft. Strain the water.

2. Cut Peach and Apple.

3. Roast groundnut and crush it coarsely.

4. In a bowl, add the vegetables, fruits,mayonnaise, honey , mustard sauce , crushed pepper. Add crushed groundnut and mix well.

5. Serve chilled.

Spicy Kuli Appam

Kuli appam has always come to my rescue, as snacks when my son gets back from school in a undecided state of hunger ! Kuli Appam always converts that semi hunger state of stomach to a generous snacking experience.Do try this with your kids.

All you need to do is- hide yourself until you grate to glory, all vegetables denounced by your kids and mix them in ! They would never guess what went it, and I assure you for that.. :)

*{Avoid using any vegetable with water content in them like Bottle Gourd /Lauki , Cucumber/vellarikai etc}


Ingredients
Rice 1 cup
Boiled Rice 1 cup
Urad Dal ½ cup
Green chillies 1 or 2
Coriander (Cilantro) leaves ¼ cup
Onion 1 small
Grated carrot
Ginger (optional) ½" piece
Fresh coconut pieces ¼ cup
Soaked chana dal ¼ cup
Salt to taste

Preparation
1.Soak the rice, boiled rice and urad dal overnight.

2.Grind the three together into a thick paste.

3.Chop the green chillies and onion.

4.Add green chillies, coriander leaves, ginger, onion, soaked dal, coconut and salt to the paste. Mix well.

5.You will have to cook this using a kuli appam pan.

6.Grease each slot and put dough in the slots.

7.Cover the pan fo a few minutes. Turn it when it is brown.

8.Leave the Appam in for a few minutes before taking them out.