Bindiya / Coconut - Jaggery laddu

 Ingredients:

Grated Coconut - 2 cups
Split moong dal / cherupayaruparuppu  - 2 tblsp
Jaggery - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Cardamon Powder - 1 tsp
Ghee / oil - 2 tsp

Method:
First, melt jaggery and keep aside.

In a Thick Bottomed Pan or in a Kadaai, dry roast split moong dal / cherupayaruparuppu and keep aside.

In the same pan add grated Coconut and  keep stirring till the water leaves the coconut. coconut should not turn red also.When the coconut is a bit dried add melted and strained jaggery to the pan. Keep stirring on medium flame for about 5 minute's, till the coconut Jaggery get dried. 

when the mixture is tight without water at all add the roasted moong dal and Cardamon Powder.Also add a tsp of ghee. Mix well.

Remove from  flame, Cool them for 2 minutes. Apply oil/ ghee on your palm and start shaping the coconut-jaggery mix into balls. If its too hot, wait till the heat is bearable by your palms and start shaping them into balls.

You can have it instant or allow them to set for about 5-6 hrs. It gets firm and tastes good too. we can store it for a week and have. .....and there Bindiya Readyyyyy.

Recipe Courtesy: Ajitha Sadanandan (Ajiammayi)

Unniappam....without Banana

Unniappam is a popular snack in Kerala. Usually unni appams are made with banana as a main ingredient . Adding bananas makes the appam soft. but the shelf life is very less. This recipe is about making unniappam without adding bananss . we can store these appams for a week and use.

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup
Maida / Refined flour - 1 cup
Jaggery cubes - 3/4 cup
water- 1 cup  
Cardamom - 3 green
Black Sesame seeds / Ellu - 1 tsp
Coconut Bits / thenga Kothu - 1/4 cup
snauf / prinjeerakam - 1tsp.(optional)
Salt - to taste, 1 pinch.
Coconut oil - ½ cup ( for frying )

Method:

Soak raw rice in water for an hour. Strain the water from rice and grind in a mixer. Sieve the rice flour and grind  lumps of rice again. Rice flour should be very fine without any lumps.

Add 1 cup of water to grated jaggery and heat until it is melted. Let it cool. Strain and Keep aside.

Combine together rice powder, maida and melted jagerry. Pour in  more water as required to get a consistency of idili batter. If the consistency is thin then add some more maida. Mix well and keep aside overnight for fermentation. 

 Heat ghee in a pan and add the coconut pieces.Fry until it turns golden brown.

Add a pinch of salt, ellu / til / sesame seeds, cardamon and fried coconut pieces to the batter. Mix all nicely. 

Keep unniappam chetti on flame and pour oil 3/4 in each mould or else oil will overflow when u pour batter. when oil is hot reduce the flame to medium and pour a scoop of each batter over each mould. Allow to cook for a minute. Invert them with a skewer or a knife. Allow to cook again.

Again invert and cook until golden brown from both sides. Drain on a kitchen towel.

Your Unniyappams are ready. serve them hot with tea or coffee.


Recipe courtesy: Prassana Suagathan

Beetroot chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken -1/2 kg

Chilly powder - 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Beetroot - 1 medium

Tomatoes - 2 medium

Big Onion - 2 nos 

Green chilly -  4 nos

Crushed Ginger - 2 tsp

Crushed Garlic - 2 tsp

Coriander leaves - Few

Garam masala powder - 1tsp

Salt - to taste.

Method :

Marinate chicken with 2 tbsp of Chilly powder, 1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder and Salt for half n hour.

Heat oil in a Kadai / pan and fry thinly sliced onions into golden brown n keep aside.

In the same oil shallow fry the chicken.

In another pan take little of  oil and saute crushed ginger, garlic and green chillies.when the raw smell goes out  add grinded beetroot and tomatoes and stir well. When it start boiling add fried onion and chicken kept aside.

Add a cup of water to the gravy and cook till the gravy is thick. Check salt and chilly and add more if needed. Finally, add garam masala powder and coriander leaves and remove from fire.

Yummy and healthy beetroot chicken ready. Enjoy with Rice, chappathi or Ghee rice.

Recipe Coutesy: Sapna Mumthaz @ KFG