Gothambu (Wheat) Payasam... with full white wheat

Ingredients:

Full White 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

Method:
Wash and Pressure cook the cleaned  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 the 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 add cashews & raisins  & fry it. Add this to payasam.

Garnish the hot payasam with raisins & cashews. Serve hot....:)

Recipe Courtesy: Radha Govindan (Grand Mother)

Ney Pathal / Ney Pathiri / Deep Fried Pathiri

Ingredients:

Parboiled rice/Puzhukkalari - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Shallot - 4 nos
Fennel Seeds - 1 tbsp
Rice flour -1/2 cup
Salt - to taste

Method:

Wash and soak the rice overnight. Grind it along with 1/2 cup of water until to get a coarse mixture.(Do not add too much of water.If you can grind the rice with less water you need to add less rice powder only). Crush together coconut, shallot and fennel seeds. Add this to the rice mixture.  Add salt too.

Mix everything well. Add enough rice powder and make it a smooth dough.

Take a lemon size ball and flatten it using your fingers by placing it on a plastic sheet. It should not be too thin. You can see the shape and width of the pathiri in the picture.

Heat oil in a pan.Remove the Pathiri from plastic paper and drop into oil. After sometimes it will float on top and puff up. Flip it over and fry both sides until golden brown color.

Serve with Malabar chicken curry / Egg Roast. Plain Pathiri itself will make a great snack.....Enjoy..:)

Yellow Cucumber Dosa

Ingredients:
Raw rice - 2 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup 
Cooked Rice (optional) - 1/4 cup
Cucumber - 1/2 of big sized
Salt - To Taste
Water - as required to make a watery batter.
2-3 tsp oil

Method:

Peel cucumber. Remove the seeds and cut into small pieces. Wash and soak rice for 5 - 6 hours or overnight. Grind rice, Coconut, Cooked Rice and cucumber pieces together adding desired water to make watery batter. Cucumber leaves water. so we have to adjust and pour water accordingly. Add salt and mix nicely. For this dosa, there is no need to ferment. So just keep covered for 2 hours. Or if you want to make it immediately, u can do so.

Heat the griddle. Drizzle with oil.Pour one full ladle batter on the griddle and spread it evenly as thin as possible.Cover the lid for few seconds.Then remove with spatula carefully.

Yummy thin, white, soft dosa is ready. Serve the dosa with coconut chutney/ Chutney powder / honey.

Paneer Butter Masala

Ingredients:
Paneer (Cottage Cheese) or Tofu (Paneer from Soya Milk) - 2 cups ( 200 gms)
Onions - 1 Big
Tomato - 2 Big
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Garlic - 6 pods
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander Leaves - 1 tsp
Garam masala -  1 tsp 
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Tomato ketchup 2 tsp (optional)
Kasuri methi - 1/4 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup 
Cashew nuts - 6
Fresh Cream 1/2 cup
Butter or oil- 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Soak cashews in milk for 10 mins and grind it to paste, set aside.


Clean and cut Paneer into cubes. Heat 2 tbsp oil / butter in a pan and fry the Paneer/tofu cubes until golden brown. Drain and set aside.

In the same pan, add cubed onions, tomato, garlic, ginger and saute till  they are soft. When this is cool grind this in a mixer to a fine paste.

To the pan add this paste ,Coriander Powder, garam masala Powder, chilli Powder, Sugar and salt. Fry for 30 seconds. To this, add the Cashew Paste and fried paneer/ tofu pieces. Lower fire and cook covered for 5 mins.

Dry roast Kasuri Methi, crush a little by hand and add to the gravy. Top this off with 1/2 cup cream. Mix well and simmer on low fire for 3-4 mins. Adjust salt.

Remove from fire. Garnish with corriander leaves , Butter and cream.

 Serve paneer butter masala warm with rotis / naan/ veg pulao / jeera rice, etc......:)