Kunuku

I learnt this recepi from my late paternal grandma. This is no onion no garlic deep fried snack which can be served for breakfast or as tea time treat. Adai maavu or idli batter makes a delicious kunuku as well. I still remember the brief time i spent at my grandma's house whenever she prepare adai batter, she'll reserve some for making kunuku the next day.

She love to add coconut bits as a traditional recepi has the crunchiness of coconut on every bite. I skipped coconut in mine as Dandelions not fancy of coconut in their kunuku. Some add chopped onion and green chillies to their kunuku batter to enhance the taste personally, i prefer what i tasted in my late grandma's kitchen.

Food does brought back sweet memories with your loved ones 😍. I do miss her and her food. Blessed to learnt some of her cooking and will make sure both my Dandelions inherit the same. 

Ingredients

1/8 cup toor dhal

1/8 cup channa dhal

1/2 cup par boiled rice

1 tbsp raw rice

1 tbsp urad dhal

3 red chillies

1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida

Salt to taste

1 sprig curry leaves chopped

Oil for deep frying

Methods

Wash and soak toor dhal,channa dhal,raw rice, par boiled rice and urad dhal for 3-4 hours.

Drain the water and add the soaked dhal mixture with red chilly to a grinder. Grind into a slighty coarse paste by adding little water.

Add the ground batter to a mixing bowl, add chopped curry leaves,salt and hing. Mix well to combine.

Heat oil in wok,pinch the prepared batter a little by little and gently drop to the hot oil.

Cook on both sides till crispy and golden. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel to drain excess oil.

Serve with chutney or chilly sauce.

Kanyakumari Crab Masala

 

Who doesn't love crab? Me! 🙋‍♀😂. Reason being i don't have patient or passion to crack open the crab shell. Somehow, i find the process quite messy and i'm not into it. Anyhow, my family loves crab and i'm bound to cook for them out of love 😍. Usually, my cooking crab session will always be on weekends as all family members gather for a good Sunday lunch.

We prefer both mud and blue crabs, for this recepi i use blue crab as that's what available in my market. Mud crab goes well with the same recepi and do double up the measurement according to your amount of crab. This recepi can be easily double up to yield a fabulous crab masala dish.

My family love this Kanyakumari crab masala to every bit. I served with steamed white rice and a side. It's spicy,coconuty and burst with flavour. 

Ingredients

500g blue crab,cleaned

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp fennel seeds

3 cardamom pods

1"inch cinnamon stick

4 pcs cloves

1 tbsp chilly powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 bay leaf

1/3 tsp black pepper powder

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 onions,chopped

2 tomatoes,chopped

1 sprig curry leaves

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

3 tbsp coconut oil

To Grind

4 green chillies

1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp fennel seeds

Methods

In a grinder, grind coconut,fennel seeds,curry leaves and green chillies to a fine paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in the pan and saute cardamom,bay leaf,fennel seeds and cinnamon stick. Add the onion and saute till translucent.

Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook covered with lid till the tomatoes turns mushy.

Add the pepper powder,red chilly powder,turmeric powder amd coriander powder. Stir and cook till oil separates from the masala. 

Add the cleaned crab and stir till the masala coat well with the crab. Cover with lid and cook cook 5 miniutes.

Add the ground coconut paste mixture and salt. Stir well. Cover with lid and cool for another 5 minutes.

Once the crab are done. Swith off the heat and sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with hot rice.

Deep Fried Coconut Paste Prawns

 

Sometimes we all just need a simple no messy recepi to follow yet, delicious. I promise you, you're at the right place with this no fussy prawn recepi. Not much in ingredients wise and definitely no hassle preparation or cooking methods. Grab what we always have in the kitchen,mix,marinate and deep fried. Before knowing yummy prawn are ready to savour.

This is my own recepi which i created when i had very little cooking time. It goes realy well as sides with any rice-curry combination or even on it's own as snacking.

Do use thick coconut cream for the recepi as it helps to bind all the masalas and help to coat the prawns well. Mild creamy coconuty flavored prawn with spicy masalas are lip smacking goodness on a plate.

Ingredients

500g prawns,cleaned & deveined

6 tbsp thick coconut cream

6 tbsp coconut flakes

Salt to season

1/2 tsp chilly powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp seafood curry powder

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Oil for deep frying

Methods

In a large bowl add prawns, coconut cream,coconut flakes,salt,turmeric powder,curry powder and chilly powder. 

Mix well till the prawns are well coated with the masala.

Store in the fridge for an hour to marinate.

Heat oil in a wok and deep fried the marinated prawns in batches till done.

Transfer to a plate layer with kitcheb towel to absorp excess oil.

Serve hot with lemon/lime wedges and chopped coriander leaves.

Dhaba Style Aloo Gobi

 

Dhaba style aloo gobi is what we had during our North India vacay five years ago. Dhaba or small stalls serving food and beverages can be found on both sides of the road with variations of snacks. Young and old gather around this stalls to enjoy lip smacking delicacies.

We stopped at one of those Dhaba for our midnight meal after our flight and ordered paratha with their signature aloo gobi. A mixture of potato and cauliflower florets simmered in masala gravy goes well for the chilled night drive. They do serve both dry and gravy version of aloo gobi and we opted for the later which has no regret.

Back home, after years i tried my hands on one of North India famous Dhaba style aloo gobi and at a first bite, i was transport to the highway of Delhi. Good food does brought back sweet memories.

Ingredients

2 potatoes,cubed

1 cup cauliflower florets

2 medium sized tomatoes

2 onions, finely chopped

1"inch ginger,chopped

8 cloves garlic,chopped

1 bay leave

1 black cardamom pod

2 green cardamom pods

6-8 black peppercorns

3 cloves

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp red chilly powder

2 tbsp coriander powder

1 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves

1 tsp salt

2-3 tbsp oil

2 1/4 cups water

Handful coriander leaves,chopped

Methods

In a pot, boil water with salt and add potato and cauliflower floret. Boil till half cooked. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a grinder, add black cardamom,green cardamom,tomatoes,ginger,clove and black peppercorns. Grind into fine paste.

Heat oil in the pan and fry potato for 2 minutes. Keep aside.

In the same pan, add cumin seeds,onion and salt. Fry till golden.

Add chilly powder,garam masala powder and coriander powder. Cook till raw smell leaves.

Add the ground tomato paste mixture and cook till oil separates.

Add fried potatoes and cauliflower florets and stir.

Add water and cook for 10-12 minutes. Add fenugreek leaves and coriander leaves. Stir and switch off the heat.

Serve with Indian flat bread or white rice.

Mango Halwa

I made this delicious mango halwa long ago and only posting the recepi now. It has geen more than six months and sorry for the delay. Hope i could consistently blog from now on despite of my full time job, being a mother two wonderful teenagers, my passion for reading and travelling and not to miss cooking and baking of course. With all this, finding time to blog is indeed hectic. I'll make sure to do it at my best.

Coming back to today's recepi, i bought few Indian mangoes. After enjoying some as it is, i decided to make use of it for my cooking and baking. That's how this sinfully yummy mango halwa comes to the picture.

Don't worry if you can't get your hands on Indian mango, any fully riped sweet mangoes works well for the recepi. As always, adjust the sugar according to your preference. Half cup of ghee is more than enough for the ghee oozing halwa as i used my very own homemade ghee. Stays good for 2-3 days (i wonder it might last that long, as mine gone within an hour) 😆.

Ingredients

1 cup cornstarch

3 cups granulated white sugar

3 cups mango pulp

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Water as required

12-14 cashews,chopped

12-14 almonds,chopped

12-14 pistachio,chopped

Pinch of saffron

Methods

Add water to the cornstarch and stir well without lumps. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and almonds till golden. Keep aside.

Add the 1/2 cup of ghee to the same pan. Add mango pulp.

Add the diluted cornstarch to the pan and stir well till thickened.

Add sugar and keep stirring till mixture thickened. Add more ghee if necessary.

Stir continiously till a single mass formed and the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Add fried nuts,chopped pistachio and cardamom powder. Stir for anothet 6-8 minutes.

Pour mixture into a greased pan and smooth the top. 

Keep aside to set for an hour. Slice and serve.

Rose Latte

 

I had this rose latte in a posh cafe with a friend of mine. She highly recommended this flower tea latte for me to try and i shall thank her for the recommemdation. Indeed, it was one cup of heaven. I couldn't stop sipping the flower tea and almost ordered another cup of it..greedy me 😆. It was really gooddddddd.

Back home i give it a try and walla it came out really well. The key to the recepi is the steeping process. A well induced flavor of rose flower steeping in hot milk brings out the essence of the beverage to the core. Use a heavy bottomed pan to avoid the milk from burning.

You may use fresh red rose petals or dried version for the recepi but do make sure it's organic. The least we want is the chemical and pesticide loaded flowers for the tea. I used beetroot powder to give that wonderful red/pink colur to this delicious hot latte. Feel free to use few drops of fresh beetroot juice if you have any. No more cafe visit for my rose latte as i could easily make them on my own 😁.

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk

1/3 tsp beetroot powder

2 tbsp fresh/ dried red rose petals

2 tbsp maple syrup

Methods

In a heavy bottomed pan, boil milk and rose petals. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and strain. Discard rose petals and keep the boiled milk aside.

In a serving cup add maple syrup and bertroot powder. Stir well.

Using a frother, froth milk and pour into the maple syrup nixture.

Garnish with dried rose petals.

Nepalese Vegetable Pulao

It has been months, i didn't visit my blog or updating any new recepis. I lost my beloved grandma last year October and it took sometime to cope with the loss. Thereafter, my elder Dandelion enter her University in November and started her campus life. As every year, year end been quite hectic in for working mom like me. All thia is the reason why i'm away from blogging and right now, i'm back. Sorry for the missing and delay of updating the blog, will try my best to keep it going with new recepis in coming days. Thank you for putting up with me.

Nepalese vegetable pulao is a light and flavorful one pot dish. Easy to cook and packed with flavours this delicious rice recepi is best serve on its own or with a gravy of your choice. Adding a dash of lemon juice gives a good finishing touch to the meal. 

You may add green peas as well or any other hard vegetables for variations. I added potato and cauliflower which goes really well. A perfect Sunday lunch to enjoy with family and friends.

Ingredients

2 cups Basmathi rice

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

3 cups water

1 bay leaf

1"inch cinnamon stick

3 black cardamom pods

2 green cardamom pods

3 cloves

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 large onion,chopped

2 potatoes, cut into cubes

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

3 green chillies,minced

1 tomato,medium sized

1 cup cauliflower

1 tbsp lemon juice

10-12 cashews

10-12 almonds

2 + 1 tbsp ghee

Oil as needed

Salt to season

Methods

Wash and soak Basmathi rice for 30 minutes.

Fry almonds and cashews with 1 tbsp ghee till golden. Keep aside.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil and remaining 2 tbsp ghee. Add the cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds splutters add cinnamon stick,black cardamom,green cardamom,bay leaf and cloves. Fry till fragrant.

Add turmeric powder,onion,ginger garlic paste and minced green chillies. Cook for a minute. 

Add the tomato and cook for 1 minute. Add the potato and cauliflower, reduce heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes. 

Drain the rice and add to the potato mixture. Stir,add water and season with salt. Stir well and cover with lid. Cook till the rice are done.

Add the lime juice and gently stir without breaking the grains. Cover and rest it for 10 minutes.

Garnish with fried nuts and erve with gravy of your choice or on its own.

Paneer Kheer

 

If you have paneer in hand, this delicious kheer can be made in a jiffy. Store bought paneer works very well for this recepi as much as homemade. I have a block of homemade paneer i prepared a day ago and put it together to dish out this delectable kheer during Vinayagar chahurthi as prasadham for Lord Ganesha.

I'm a person who seasoned all my desserts or sweet well. Trust me, a pinch of salt will go a long way in dessert. It will bring out a real flavour of the dessert or sweets. Kheer tend to get thickened while cooling thus, make sure you have enough liquid or milk for a right consistency to avoid a mass or clumpy kheer.

Well sweetened,rich and creamy this paneer kheer is sinfully delicious to serve for speacial occasion such as weddings,birthday celebration or as neiveidhyam for the Almighty.  Garnish with rose petals or safflower as feast for eyes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup paneer,crumbled

2 1/4 cup whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

7-8 saffron strands

7-8 cashews, broken

7-8 almonds,coarsely chopped

1 tbsp ghee

Rose or safflower petals for garnishing

Methods

Heat ghee in a pan, fry the cashews and almonds till golden. Remove from pan and keep aside.

In a heavy non stick pan, boil milk and simmer till the milk reduces to half.

Add the sugar and stir till completely dissolved. 

Add the saffron strands,salt, roasted cashews and almonds.

 Boil for another minute. Add the crumbled paneer and cardamom powder.

Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off flame and transfer to a serving bowl.

Garnish with rose or safflower petals. Serve hot or warm.

Bun Dosa

 

Bun dosa it looks like one of those buns we get in bakery or bread shops. I had this fluffy and soft dosa during my visit to Karnataka, India. We tried this beautiful dosa in our hotel where we stayed for breakfast, and i was hooked to the look of it. It does look like a bun made with yeast and flour. Out of curiosity, i tried and the first bite of the delicious dosa are truly amazing.

Despite of it's thickness, the dosa was spongy and thanks ge  the fermentation process. Another interesting part of this yummy dosa is, unlike regular dosa urad dhal not required in this recepi. So, next time when you're craving for dosa and no access to urad dhal, this bun dosa makes an ideal menu. 

The tempering always depend on individual preferences. I took it easy with basic tempering. You may add, finely chopped onion,grated carrot or cabbage to enhance the taste. Serve with sambar and chutney for a satisfying breakfast or even dinner.

Ingredients

2 cups raw rice

1 cup grated coconut

1 cup aval

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fenugreek

Water as needed

For Tempering

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dhal

2 sprig curry leaves

1 green/red chilly chopped

Methods

Wash and soak the raw rice and fenugreek seeds for 4-5 hours.

Drain water and using grinder, blend into smooth paste with water as needed. Transfer to a deep large vessel.

In the same blender, grind the poha and coconut with 3/4 cup water. Grind into smooth paste.

Transfer the mixture into the ground rice vessel. The batter shouldn't be too thick or too runny. It shall be like dosa batter consinsteny.

Cover and place in warm place to ferment for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, add salt to the batter and stir.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once splutters add the urad dhal,curry leaves and chilly.

Pour the tempered ingredients over the dosa batter and stir well.

Heat appam pan and grease lightly with oil.

Pour a ladleful of the batter,cover with lid and cook on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes.

Gently flip over the dosa and cook till golden.

Transfer to plate and repeat the process with remaining batter.

Serve with sambar and chutney.

Sri Lankan Dhal

 

I had this Sri Lankan dhal in one of the Sri Lankan restaurant here. I shall say it's love at first sight or first bite. They serve with Indian flatbread, naan and it goes really well. The soft and spongy bread soaked all the goodness of the rich and creamy dhall for a perfect mouthful of deliciousness.

That's how it's all started with this gorgeous looking lentil dish. Since then, i made this dhall countless time and its always a hit in my household. It's not spicy which is perfect for kids. Pour a generous ladleful of dhal over steamed rice or roti and top with a dollop of ghee. This combination are totally out of the world and that's how my Dandelions have it. 

Ingredients

1 cup red lentil

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 1/2 + 1 cups water

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chilly powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 medium onion,sliced

1 green chilly,slitted

1 tomato,chopped

1"inch ginger,julienned

2 cloves garlic,crushed

Pinch of hing

Salt to taste

For Tempering

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp chilly flakes

1 tbsp chopped onion

1 dry chilly,broken

Methods

Wash red lentils and drain.

Add lentils in a pot with onion,2 1/2 cups water,green chilly,tomato,garlic,ginger,curry leaves,turmeric powder,chilly powder,cumin powder,coriander powder,hing and salt.

On medium heat, stir and cook the lentil for 15 minutes or till soft.

Add the remaining 1 cup water and coconut milk. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

For Tempering

In a pan heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds.

Once mustard seeds splutters add cumin seeds,curry leaves, chopped onion,dry chilly and chilly flakes.

Pour the tempering over the cooked dhal.

Serve dhal with rice or roti.

Modak With Chana Dhall Stuffing

 

There are so many do and don't when it comes to preparing modak. The dough is the most important part of modak and i shall say trick as well. It should be too stiff or too soft both could lead to a disaster in the outer layer of the modak. Modak or mothagam is Lord Ganesha's favourite delicacy and preparing them for Vinayagar chahurthi is quite challenging. Nightmare lies in the dough which quite often become too soft or too hard after steaming.

Different rice flour requires different amount of water. Do adjust the water according the required consistency. Dough shall be soft and smooth without any cracks. If you added too much of water, stir the dough on medium flame for the water to evaporate. If too little, add water gradually.

As for the filling, it's one of the traditional modak filling. It's not too sweet or too bland and goes really well with the subtle outer layer. The filling was smooth,rich and well balanced. Hope Ganesha was as happy as i am with the outcome. Happy Vinayagar chahurthi all.

Ingredients

For The Dough

1 cup rice flour

1 & 1/2 tsp ghee

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup water

1 tsp gingely oil

For Stuffing

1/2 cup chana dhall, boiled and mashed

3/4 cup grated jaggery

1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

1 tsp cardamom powder

Ghee for greasing

Methods

For The Dough

In a bowl add flour and salt. Mix to combine. Add ghee and mix.

Boil water till bubbles appear. Turn off heat and gradually add to the flour mixture in batches. Stir and rest the mixture for 10 minutes with lid on.

Knead the dough to soft and smooth dough. Smear the surface with a teaspoon of gingely oil, cover with lid and rest for 10 minutes.

For The Filling

In a pan, add jaggery and water. Once the jaggery completely melted. Strain to remove impurities.

Add back the melted jaggery to the pan and boil for a minute. Add the coconut and mashed dhal. Stir and add cardamom powder. Cook till moisture leaves. Transfer to a plate.

Take a lemon size of the dough, grease the modak mould & your palm with ghee. Stuff the dough into the mould. 

Fill with 1 teaspoon of the filling and close the edges. Repeat the process with remaining dough and filling.

Steam for 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat.