Boondi Ladoo

Boondi Ladoo is a popular south Indian delicious sweet which we prepare in our household during auspicious occasions and festivals .

For making boondis : 

Besan Flour / Bengal gram flour (kadalapodi)  1 cup
Baking soda     1 pinch 
Salt  1 pinch
Turmeric powder 1 or 2 pinch for the desired color
Oil for deep frying 

For making sugar syrup :

Powdered Sugar    1 cup
Water 1/4 cup 

Other Ingredients for flavoring :

Cardomom powder 
Cloves 3 no.s
Edible camphor 1 or two small crystals 
Black Raisins for garnishing  8 No.s
Kalkandum (sugar candy) 1 or 2 tsp
Ghee 1/1/2 Tbsp

Preparation:

In a bowl add sieved ingredients that is besan, baking soda, turmeric and salt. Add water carefully little by little. The batter consistency should be neither thick nor watery.
Heat a kadai and add ghee and fry raisins and cashews (optional). keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. On a perforated ladle pour  a ladle full batter into the hot oil keeping the flame on medium. The batter should flow as round drops. Adjust the consistency of the batter in order to get perfect shape. No need to cook till its crispy. Boondis should be crunchy then only it will absorb the sugar syrup perfectly. Prepare the boondis like this pouring it batch by batch. During the process please wipe the ladle  with a tissue paper to remove the excess batter.  From this take a 1/4 portion and grind once using a mixer grinder. Again take a 2 Tbsp boondis and add cloves and camphor and grind it to a powder. finally mix all these boondis and keep it aside.

Heat a thick bottomed pan and add sugar and water. Stir continuously.  Bring it to boil and check its for a string consistency . check taking and holding  the syrup between our thump and index finger.
Switch off the flame. Immediately Add cardamom powder and boondi. Mix well. Sit it for 5 mints. Add kalkand as well and mix. While this mixture is warm , we have to shape it by applying ghee on our palm. keep a raisin to garnish each ladoo. ( here we can adopt a method of roughly shaping all the boondis initially  still its warm and later on shaping it perfectly) If it cools down we wont be able to shape it so I recommend to keep it on the stove for warming it again.
This way we can prepare a crunchy melt in the mouth delicious laddos. 

Semolina Sponge Cake (Eggless , Butter less and no oven)

I tried this cake from Mia Kitchen. It came out well. Its prepared in the iron kadai instead of oven.Kindly find the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th2_JB5FYX0

Ingredients :

Rava – 1 ¼ cup, non roasted Oil – ½ cup + to grease cake tin Curd – ½ cup Milk – ½ cup Milk powder – 2 tbsp Maida/All purpose flour – ½ cup Sugar – powdered, 1 cup Baking powder – ½ tsp Baking soda – ½ tsp Salt – ¼ tsp Tutti frutti or Cherries, raisins & pistachios – to garnish

Mysore Bonda

Mysore bondas - Easy to prepare with a very few ingredients. A very popular snack in south India especially in Karnataka.  I tried out the recipe from Manjula's kitchen:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5HkvfRUnvk&t=1s

Ingredients :
All purpose flour           1 cup
Rice Flour                      1/4 cup
Yoghurt                          1/2 cup (sour yoghurt recommended)
cumin /jeera                   1/2 Tsp
Baking Soda                  1/2 Tsp
Green chilly chopped    1Tbsp
Ginger finely chopped  1 TBsp
Curry leaves chopped    1 Tbsp
Coriander leaves            2 TBsp
Salt                                 As required
Water                              As required
Oil                                  for frying

Preparation :

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Mix it well and add sour yoghurt. Mix it well adding water gradually. Mix well to become a thick paste and add remaining ingredients like green chilly ginger curry and coriander leaves. combine well and allow the batter to sit for 30 minuets undisturbed.

Heat oil in a kadai. Keep the flame in medium.  Smear some oil to your finger tips. Make a round ball and drop into the hot oil. Keep stirring with a ladle while frying for to cook evenly. Make in batches. Drain it on a tissue paper. Enjoy mysore bondas with coconut chutney.

Mambazha Pulissery ( മാമ്പഴ പുളിശ്ശേരി )

Its an easy to prepare kerala traditional curry. In kerala we prepare this with chandrakkaran mambazham during mango season. its unique fragrance and flavor gives curry a heavenly taste. If this is not available use Alphonso or any other available small size nadan mangoes. Its indeed a nostalgic dish for many keralites. please add pepper powder since in many new generation recipes its absent but when i search in authentic traditional recipes its there. I asked with many cooking experts too. They have also suggested to include pepper powder which definitely adds a different flavor for the curry 

Chandrakkaran or nadan mangoes   3 Riped
 Sliced Green chillies                       4
Turmeric Powder                             1 Tsp
Chilly powder                                  1 Tsp
Black pepper powder                       1/2 Tsp
Jaggery (optional)                            Goosberry size
Salt                                                    as required
Curry leaves
Water                                              1 cup
Yogurt                                            1 1/2 cup
For grinding:
Coconut Big (grated)                      1/2
cumin seeds Jeera                          2 pinches
Turmeric powder                            1 Tsp
Water                                               As required

For Tempering :
coconut oil                                     3 Tbsp
Fenugreek                                      1/2 Tsp
Mastard seeds                                3 Tsp
Whole red chilly                             4
Curry leaves                                    3-4 sprigs

Preparation:

1)  Grind together grated coconut, turmeric powder and jeera to thick creamy paste adding required water. keep it aside.

2)  Blend yogurt in a mixing bowl to a smooth texture and keep it aside.

3) peel of the skin of mangoes and cut into pieces if required or else you can put as it is if its of small size. In a traditional clay chatti mix together mangoes, chilly powder, green chillies, turmeric powder, pepper powder, salt and add required water too. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium or low flame. until mangoes become soft. Add the coconut paste and combine well. Please switch off the stove after five minuets.
Add blended yogurt too and mix well.
Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and fenugreek let it splutter and then add red chilly and curry leaves. Pour this to the curry on top and mix well. Relish it with brown rice.

Tutti Frutti Cake (Eggless)

 Childrens will love this cake which is easy to prepare as well.

Curd   1 Cup
Powdered Sugar 1 Cup
Vegetable oil 1/4 cup
Baking powder 1Tsp
Baking soda 1/2 Tsp
Orange essence 1/2 Tsp
Vanilla essence 1/2 Tsp
All purpose flour 1/1/2 cup
Tutti Frutti


In a mixing bowl mix curd and powdered sugar. Mix well and add baking powder and baking soda.
After sometime add oil, essence. Combine well and further add sieved flour gradually. Mix well then finally add tutti frootti which is already mixed with flour.. Pour the well combined cake mixture into a baking pan lined with butter and flour..  Bake it on a preheated 180 degree hot oven for forty minuets.

Oyster Mushroom coconut curry (മഷ്‌റൂം പീര വറ്റിച്ചത്)

Oyster Mushrooms  are common edible mushrooms found on land. They are tender and is with meaty / seafood flavor. Oyster mushrooms are high in vitamins, minerals, anti oxidants and statins which can lower cholesterol. 

Oyster Mushrooms   150 gm
water                         1/4 glass
Salt

For grinding:
coconut (grated)        1/2
Green chilly               2
Garlic                         a clove
Jeera (cumin seed)     a pinch
Aniseeds /Fennel seeds)  1 Tsp
Karuka patta (cinnamon)  small piece
Turmeric powder      1Tsp
Black pepper             7 No.s

For tadka (Tempering) : 
Mustard, Red chilly 2 and curry leaves

cook the chopped mushrooms adding adequate water. put a pinch of turmeric powder ,green chilly which is slit and sufficient salt.. Keep it aside once its cooked and dry.

Coarsely grind all above ingredients in a mixer.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mastard seeds let it splutter. keep low flame.  then add dry red chilly and curry leaves.

Then add grinded coconut.  Add cooked mushrooms too and mix well.

Pazham Pori / Banana Fritters ( Kerala Special)

This particular Tea time snack from Kerala is prepared from a ripened plantain variety nenthrapazham. The bananas should be perfectly riped; not overripe though . Here is the recipe my mother used (No maida). Personally its my all time favorite snack so she used to prepare it very frequently at home.

Nenthrapazham 3 (cut into thin long slices)
Rice Flour   1 cup
Wheat flour 1/2 a cup
Sugar 1 or 2 Tablespoon
salt a pinch
Coconut Oil for frying

Make the batter with the above flour ingredients adding sufficient water. Consistency -  not thick not thin. Heat the kadai with oil in it. Once the oil is hot, dip the stripes in the batter and put it into the oil. Fry till it becomes crispy on both the sides and drain it on a tissue. Serve hot with tea.

Instant homemade Shrikhand

A traditional Maharashtrian meal is incomplete without a dollop of Shrikhand as dessert. I love the taste. Never thought making the homemade shrikhand is such easy process. Asper Wikipedia, this dessert is a fusion of Indian and Persian cuisine. The name shrikhand derived from ksheer which is thickened milk in Sanskrit and qand means sweet in parsi.

Refridgerated thick yoghurt       2cup
Powdered sugar                          1/4 cup
   Cardomom powder                   1/4 Tsp
   Powdered saffron                      1 Tsp
   Almonds chopped for garnishing
                                Take the thick and  creamy yogurt in a bowl. Make sure you strained it and no water left. Further Add in all other ingredients one by one. Mix well. You can either transfer to a piping bag or directly scoop into small glasses. Finally garnish it with sliced almonds on top. Your instant homemade shrikhand is ready to be served.

Nellikka chammanthi (Amla \ Goosberry Chutney)

Amla is extremely  rich in Vitamin C and is a very powerful anti oxidant.  Consumption of which helps to  prevent many diseases. An instant immunity booster and anti ageing. Amlaka is the primary ingredient in the ancient rasayana chyawanprash and Amla tonic. The name derived from the Sanskrit word "Amlaki" meaning nectar of life. As per Ayurveda doctors, Amla can be of great help in balancing the three doshas. 

Here I am sharing a very simple recipe : Nellikka chammanthi

coconut     1/2  Grated

Raw Nellikka (Amla) 4 big

Green chilly   3

Curry Leaves  Twig

Salt to taste

Wash Nellikka thoroughly in water and slice it to small pieces removing the seeds. Grind it with grated coconut green chilly curry leaves and salt. Do not add water.

Optionally you can add small shallot and ginger as well as ingredient  if you wish to. I dint add though.

Lemon Mint Drink

A refreshing healthy summer cooler recipe which is easy to prepare. The mint ingredient accelerates digestion. Perfect drink for summer days.

 Lemon  1 big
 Mint leaves 2-3 Twigs
 Water 2 Glasses
 Salt  A pinch
 Sugar 4 Tbsp or as per your taste
 we can add a piece of ginger too along with the above ingredients for a different flavor

Mix all ingredients together and grind it in a mixer / Juicer. Sieve through a strainer to a bowl. Pour it in to drinking glasses and garnish it with lemon slice and mint leaves. Add ice cubes and serve it immediately before the color fades away.