Cherupayar Parippu Payasam / Split Moong Dal Kheer

Ingredients:

Yellow Split Lentils / Split Moong Dal / Cherupayar Parippu - 1 cup
Jaggery - 250 gms
Water - 5 cups                    
Grated Coconut - 2 cups tightly packed
Coconut Milk (First Extract) - 1 cup
Coconut Milk (Second Extract) -2 cups                     
Cardamom - 1/4 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5 split
Kismis/ raisins - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Coconut Pieces - 2 tbsp

Method:

Heat a Pressure cooker pan. Roast the Split Moong dal on high flame for 2 minutes or until the dal turns slightly brownish and breaks on biting.Transfer  dal to a bowl and wash in water. Strain the water.

Cook the dal in the same pressure cooker adding 2 cups water until you hear 2 cooker whistles. Once the pressure is gone check if it is cooked well. Meanwhile in a vessel add in the jaggery along with 1/4 cup water and let it melt on low flame.Add Jaggery to the pressure cooked dal.

Stir in between. Extract the Second coconut milk from 2 cups of Coconut and I cups  of water and add to the cooker.  Let cook on medium flame. Keep stirring continually for approx 10 minutes.

Let simmer till the mixture becomes thick and excess water has evaporated. Add in the cardamom powder. Pour in the first extract of coconut milk, made from 2 cups of coconut and 1/2 cup of water. Stir well. Switch off the flame. Don't cook after adding the first extract of coconut milk.

In a seasoning pan, heat the ghee. Fry the coconut pieces till light brown on medium flame. Remove and add it to the payasam. Lower flame to low. Fry the cashew nuts in the same ghee. Remove once golden. Add it to the payasam. Switch off the flame and fry the kismis and add to payasam.

Stir well and serve hot or cold.The final outcome will depend on the freshness of coconut milk, quality of jaggery and lentils.

Recipie courtesy : Prabakaran Nambiar  (Nambiar Uncle.....)

Murigayilla Mutta Upperi / Drumstick leaves Egg Stirr Fry.

Ingredients:

Egg - 1 

Big onion - 1 

Drumstick leaves- 1cup

Green chillies - 1

Grated coconut -  2 tbsp(Optional)

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt - to taste.

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add the finely chopped onions, green chillies, Curry leaves

and saute well till the onion turns transparent. Add  red chilly powder, turmeric Powder,salt and saute well.When done add washed drumstick leaves and saute.

When the leaves get dried add the grated coconut and mix well. Break and add  egg and scramble it. Stir continuously till the egg is well cooked and dried up.

   Muringa ila Mutta Upperi can be serve hot with Rice / Chappathi...:)

Chakkakuru Manga Curry /Jackfruit seeds and Mango curry

Ingredients:

Raw mango  – 1

Jackfruit seeds  -2 cups

Green chillies - 3

Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds -1 tsp

Red Chillies – 2

Shallots/Small onions – 5

Curry leaves - few

Oil – as needed

Salt-to taste

Method:

Remove the seeds from Jack fruit and keep aside.You can store this in refrigerator and use. Keeping it outside makes it very dry.

Peel the outer skin and cut the seeds length wise.Also cut raw mangoes length wise.

Pressure cook jack fruit seeds,adding 1 cup water,turmeric Powder and salt. Cook until they are soft and tender.Cooking time for frozen seeds are very less when compared to the fresh ones. Grind coconut, Green chillies, Small onion, Jeera seeds and ginger piece. Mix well and let it come to a slow boil. Switch of the heat and keep it aside.

Splutter mustard seeds. Add red chillies and curry leaves to this and fry until they are brown. Pour this seasoning over the curry .

Chakkakuru manga curry ready to serve with hot rice.....:)

Chakkakuru upperi /Jackfruit Seeds stir fry /Chakkakuru Mezhukkupuratti

Ingredients:

Chakkakuru / Jackfruit seeds- 2 cups (cleaned & sliced)
Chilly powder-2 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Small Onions - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 9 pods
Water - 1/2 cups
Curry leaves - few
Salt – to taste

Method:

Remove the outer dry skin of the jackfruit seeds and slice them thin.  

Pressure cook the sliced seeds with 1/2 cups of water, turmeric powder and salt. Measurement of the water  varies according to the seeds. Add more water and pressure cook again, if it is not cooked. When the water has evaporated and the seeds are cooked, remove from the heat and set aside. 

 Heat 1 to 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and fry Sliced onions, Crushed garlic and curry leaves. Add red chill powder and required salt and saute well. Add cooked jackfruit seeds to the kadai and stir-fry over low heat until the seeds are lightly browned. Serve hot.

 Yummy chakka kuru upperi is readyyyyy......:)

Samba Broken Wheat Payasam (Nuruku Sooji Gothambu Payasam)

Ingredients:

Broken wheat – 1 cup ( 200 mg)
Water – 2 1/2 cups (500 ml)
Jaggery – 500 gms
Water - 2 cups
Second extract of coconut milk – 2 ½ cups (500 ml)
First extract of  coconut milk – 1 1/2 cup (300 ml)
Crushed Cardamom – 3
Ghee – 3 tsp
Cashew nuts- ¼ cup
Raisins – ¼ cup
Thengakothu (bite size coconut pieces) – ½ cup

Method:

Wash and Pressure cook the cleaned broken wheat with 2 1/2 cups of water on high flame for 3 whistles.Melt 500 gms jaggery with 2 cup water. Strain the melted jaggery.Combine the melted jaggery & cooked wheat.The color of the payasam very much depends on the type of jaggery used. Before adding melted jaggery to wheat, make sure that wheat is cooked well. Add some Ghee. Cook this mixture, till the melted jaggery is completely dried. Add second extract of coconut milk to this & combine well. Let it boil. 

When it attains a thick consistency, add first extract of coconut milk. Give a good stir & mix well. Add crushed cardamom also. Let it cook for 5 more minutes on low flame & remove from fire. Keep in mind that the payasam tends to thicken as it cools. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a small pan & fry the bite size coconut pieces first, when it starts changing colour, add cashews & raisins also & fry it. 

Garnish the hot payasam with fried coconut pieces,raisins & cashews. Serve hot....:)

Recipe Courtesy: Nitha Mathish

Akki Roti

Ingredients:
Rice Flour - 2 Cups 
Big Onions - 2 
Green chillies  -  2 
Grated Carrots - 1/2 cup
Grated ginger - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Salt -to taste
Coriander - 1/2 cup
Grated Coconut - 3/4 Cup
Water - as required
oil- as required ( to grease the pan)

Method:

In a big mixing bowl, add  rice flour, grated coconut, Carrot, finely chopped coriander leaves, green chillies , Salt and onions. To this add little water. Now the consistency should be like a crumble mixture. Add more water and knead the dough to a big ball shape. Let the mixture sit in for 10 minutes. keep a frying pan on stove and when hot, spread  some  oil evenly . Take a handful of the dough to your hand and put it on the pan. Make a thin sheet  by pressing your fingers on the dough and spread it evenly to form a circle. keep some water in a plate nearby. Dipping ur hands in the water make the spreading easier. Cover and cook in medium flame. Let it cook with the lid for about 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook both sides. When done remove from pan and serve with  Coconut Chutney. 

Serve hot ..... Akki roti ready...:)

Recipie Courtesy: Asha Narasimhan

Mutta Vellappam

Ingredients:

Vellappam Batter- 1 laddle for one appam
Egg -1
Pepper- to taste
Salt- to taste

Method:

Keep appa chatti on the gas. You can use either nonstick pans or iron pans. I always prefer iron pans as the texture of the appams comes excellent in iron pans. Grease the appam chatti with gingelly oil. Pour one ladle of batter. Round the vessel once by holding the ears of the appam chatti. keep the  flame in medium.

Break an egg and pour the egg to the center of the appam. Sprinkle Salt and pepper Powder. if you want fully cooked egg you can close and cook with a lid. if not, open and cook.When the edges of the appam turns brown and crisp remove from fire.


Relish the tasty and simple mutta vellappam...:)

Pomegranate Raita

Ingredients:

Yogurt – 1 cup

Pomegranate seeds – 2/3 cup

Green chilies – 1 small or ½ large

Cilantro or coriander leaves – 1 tablespoon

Salt – to taste

Method:

Remove the pomegranate seeds separately and put in a bowl. Add salt, finely chopped  green chilies and coriander leaves.Mix it well using the serving spoon. Beat yogurt  with a spoon and add to the pomegranate bowl. Garnish it coriander leaves.Can be used as chilled also.

Serve with spicy biryani or pulao.....:) 

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Chakka / Jack fruit Ada

Ingredients:

Jack fruit bulbs - 9 nos
Roasted rice flour - 2 cups
Jaggery - 1 cup (medium sweet.If you want,can add more)
Water to melt Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup (use either sugar or Jaggery powder)
Banana Leaves - 5 (you may use aluminium foil/parchment paper as well)

Method:

Deseed and Chop the ripe jackfruit bulbs into small pieces. Grind this in a mixer without water and make puree. Simultaneously melt the jaggery in another pan with little water.

In a bowl, mix pureed jack fruit, rice flour and hot jaggery syrup. Mix well with hand to make a  dough. if the dough is too tight add more water or if too loose add more rice flour.

Mix grated coconut, cardamom Powder, sugar and keep aside. Take cleaned banana leaves one by one and keep a ball of dough into it. Spread the dough with the palm or fingers. Making the hands wet with water makes this spreading easier. keep a spoon of grated coconut and sugar on the center of the flattened dough. Fold and press the leaf horizontally with your hands. Repeat this with the whole dough.

Now shift this to a steamer and close the lid. Steam it for 20-25 minutes in medium heat.

Peel off the leaf once the adai have cooled down. cut into strips and enjoy.....

Recipe Courtesy : Nitha Mathish