Nendrampazha sweet

 

Nendrampazha sweet

When we were school going children, my mother used to make different types of sweets, mostly with jaggery.   I remember raagi dosai, wheat flour dosai etc. with jaggery (sweet dosai!).  Nowadays, we seem to use a lot of white sugar which is not good for health.  Jaggery retains its minerals, wikipedia says and my mother used to say that it is full of iron!  I loved this sweet when I was young and love it even now!  Now, to the recipe:

Nendrampazham/Kerala banana

Vellam/Jaggery/Gud

Elakkaai/Cardamom

Kraambu/Clove

Jaadikkai/Nutmeg

Ingredients:

1. 6 Ripe Nendrampazham (slightly blackened and soft ones)

2. 1/2 cup powdered or mashed jaggery

3. 1 tbsp. Ghee

4. Cardamom, clove, nutmeg powdered together - 1/4 tsp. 

5. A pinch of salt

Method: 

Cut the ripe bananas as shown in the picture.

Take a non-stick pan, pour the ghee and spread it to the whole pan with a ladle.

Put the cut pieces of banana and heat it in a slow flame, turning them often.  Let them become slightly brown. Remember, the heat should be low. Keep it aside.

Put the jaggery with a quarter cup of water in the stove.  After it dissolves (keep stirring with a spoon), strain it in a filter (tea filter will do) so that the sand or sugarcane pieces are removed. Add the pinch of salt and 1/4 tsp. of cardamom powder (if it is with sugar, make it 1/2 tsp.). Heat it again until it is thickened to one string consistency.  Check it like this:  Take a drop of the syrup in the spoon, leave it for a second to cool, touch it in the forefinger and check with the thumb as shown in the picture below.  One string will be visible.  It should be slightly thick.  Don't burn your fingers! 

Pour the thick syrup into the roasted banana pieces and mix it with the stove on.  

Keep frying/turning the pieces for some more time, until it looks like it is in the first picture! Leave it to cool for a minute and then gobble up! I literally do it!

Cardamom powder mix:  Take 2 tbs. of cardamom, 1 tsp. of clove and a small piece of nutmeg.  Dry it (not roast, but just heat) in a pan.  Take it out and when it is not very hot, grind it in a mixer with some sugar (1 tbs.).  Store it in a tupperware/air tight SMALL container.  The flavour is more when you add the other two ingredients with cardamom!

Try this sweet and remember to tell me if you like it or if you have any doubt or if I should make any improvement in my presentation!

P.S.: If you don't have jaggery or feel lazy to do the syrup, just sprinkle 1/4 cup or less (if you are not a sweet person!), after you fry the fruit for sometime.  Keep stirring until the sugar blends with the fruit.  This is very easy!

Mangalore and Madras Rasam!

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My friend Saritha, had asked for the recipe for Rasam and I thought I will give the recipe for Mangalore rasam. Alongwith that another type of rasam, which I do at home, often which is very easy to make too!

Now, to the ingredients for Mangalore rasam powder first:

Pepper/Milagu/Kaali mirch

Curry leaves/Kariveppilai/Kadi paththa

Asofoetida/Perungaayam/Hing

Cumin Seeds/Jeeragam/Jeera

Fenugreek seeds/Vendayam/Methi

Coriander Seeds/Dhania

Bengaluru Byadige menasu/Sigappu milagaai/Laal mirch

Now, to the Check list of the ingredients for the Mangalore rasam powder:

1. 100g. Red chillies or 150 g. Byadige menasu (the second one is not hot but gives red colour for the rasam!)

2. 4 tsp. Jeera

3. 4 tsp. Methi

4. 2 cups or 100 g. Dhania

5. 1 tsp. of Pepper

6. 1/2 inch piece of Hing

7. 8-10 twigs of Curry leaves

8. 1 tsp. of Coconut oil

Method:

In a hot kadai, pour oil. Add hing first. After it gets roasted, add Chilli, Dhania and curry leaves. After everything becomes crisp, keep them in a plate. Then in the hot kadai (whatever oil is there, is enough), roast Methi first, add Jeera and pepper later. Nothing should get burnt. You can roast one by one too. Pepper should be removed from the stove as soon as you hear one pepper bursting. Otherwise, it becomes bitter.

Powder them after they cool down - warm enough to be crisp, the powder will be smooth. If the ingredients become too cold, the powder will not be smooth.

Now, the recipe for Mangalore rasam:

Ingredients:

Tamarind/Puli/Imli

Jaggery/Vellam/Gud

Checklist for ingredients:

1. One small lemon size Tamarind

2. 1 tsp. Jaggery

3. 1 Tomato (if you add more tomatoes, the tamarind should be less)

4. 1 tbs. of Salt or according to your taste

5. 2 tbs. of cooked toor daal, which is mashed nicely

6. 4 cups of water

7. Coriander leaves

For garnishing:

1. 1 tsp. coconut oil

2. 1/2 tsp. mustard

3. 1/2 tsp. Jeera

4. Curry leaves

Method:

1. Soak tamarind in warm water. I keep the tamarind in a small vessel and keep it on the cooker lid and it becomes soft to take the juice when the rice in the cooker is ready!

2. Now, take the juice out of it and pour in a medium sized vessel. The tamarind water can be about 2 cups.

3. You can grind and add or add cut pieces of tomatoes, salt, jaggery and boil for nearly 10 mts.

4. Then add the cooked toor daal and 2 tbs. of Mangalore rasam powder. Mix it well with a ladle.

5. Add more water and coriander leaves. You can add curry leaves now itself or add it while garnishing.

6. As soon as it foams on top, remove the rasam from the stove. It should not boil with bubbles, then the flavour goes.

7. Now, for garnishing...take an iron ladle (if you don't have one, take a small kadai!), add the oil, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After the mustard bursts, add curry leaves. My maami, whose rasam is famous in our family, just adds one or two tsp. of coconut oil and removes from the stove. No garnishing!

Now, for the Madras rasam:

Let me write this rasam in a short-cut method!

1 to 3 steps should be followed as written in the Mangalore rasam recipe. Add 2 tsp. of the saambaar powder and 1/2 inch piece of hing or 1/2 tsp. of hing powder also in the 3rd step (hing is not included in my saambaar powder but it is, in the Mangalore rasam powder!). Boil for 10 to 15 mts. Add 2 tbs. of cooked toor daal. Mix well. Add another 2 more cups of water and coriander leaves. Boil it till it foams on top and remove from fire and garnish!

Altogether the rasam will be around 1 ltr. Taste it, if you think that it is strong, add some more water. It should be a bit strong for mixing with rice and eating. It should be mild, for just drinking!

If you use old, dark coloured tamarind take less amount for soaking. If the tamarind is new (light in colour), take more.

Only garnishing is different for this. I always keep some rasam garnishing powder, which is done like this:

1. 1/4 cup Jeera

2. 1/4 cup or less, pepper

3. Curry leaves

Dry roast all the 3 ingredients...first jeera, then pepper... roast, after a minute add curry leaves and roast a bit more until the leaves are crisp. Powder it when it cools and store in a bottle.

For garnishing rasam, take 1 tsp. of ghee, add 1/2 tsp. of mustard and 1/4 tsp. of jeera. When it flutters, add a tsp. of the above pepper powder, mix it with a tsp. in the ladle itself and garnish immediately!

Madras rasam is ready!

I always add jaggery for tamarind based recipe. It reduces the too tangy taste of tamarind. And for most of other recipes, I add half tsp. at least of sugar. It acts like ajino-moto...blending together all the tastes!

Hope this recipe is easy to follow. If you have any doubts, feel free to ask me. I will be glad to clear the doubt!

Kaththarikkai (Brinjal) curry powder!

Roasted ingredients for Kaththarikkai Curry Powder.

This recipe is for my niece, Apparna!

We call it Kaththarikkai curry powder, but actually this is just 'curry powder'! We can use this powder in any vegetable curry...add a half tsp. with our normal chilli powder, just for giving extra flavour or add just this powder...the taste changes! For Brinjal (kaththarikkai curry), this powder is a must!

Now, to the ingredients:

Red chilli/Sigappu milagaai/Laal mirch

Curry leaves/Kariveppilai/kadi paththa

Bangal gram/Kadalai paruppu/Chana daal

Asofoetida/Perungaayam/Hing

Coriander seeds/dhania

Check list of the ingredients:

1. 100 gms. Red Chillies

2. 1/2 cup Coriander seeds

3. 1/4 cup Bengal gram

4. 6-7 twigs of curry leaves.

5. 1/2 inch piece of Hing (you just pull out a piece...half marble size... from the softened hing, it is difficult to measure it!)

6. 2 tsp. of coconut oil (you can take 1 tsp. also)

Method:

In a kadai, heat the oil and drop a half an inch piece of Hing. After it is fried, add Bengal gram, roast a bit. Then add the Coriander, Chillies and Curry leaves. Roast it until everything is crisp. Powder it, after it cools down. Your curry powder is ready!

TIP: You can add this powder with some coconut, grind it and mix it in saambaar (araiththu vitta saambaar). Less daal should be used when you add coconut.

Edited to Add: The first picture is added now (18.6.11, 3.24 pm)!

Saambaar Podi - South Indian Style

My friend, Kavita had asked for the recipe of our South Indian Saambaar powder, a couple of weeks back and I took my time to present it here! Hope this is easy to follow, Kavita!

First collect all the 10 ingredients:

1. 250g. Red chilli (long chilli is preferable)/Sigappu milagaai vattral/Laal mirchi
(No need to pluck the 'kaambu' - stalk which is supposed to be hottt!)

1 a. 100g. Kashmiri mirch or Bengaluru byadagi menasu (optional), to give colour!

2. 250g. Coriander seeds/Dhania
(We get slightly green coloured coriander seeds at Nilgiris stores. which smells better and fresh and so, I buy that).

3. 100g. Cumin seeds/Jeeragam/Jeera

4. 100g. Fenugreek/Vendayam/Methi

5. 100g. Mustard/Kadugu/Rai

6. 100g. Black Pepper/Milagu/Kaali mirch

7. 100g. Bengal gram/Kadalai paruppu/Chana daal

8. 100g. Tuvar daal/Tuvaram paruppu

9. 3-4 pieces Turmeric root/Manjal kizhangu/Haldi

10. A big bunch of Curry leaves/Kariveppilai/Kadi pattha

Your saambaar podi is ready!

Ingredients (Check list!):

1. 250g. Red chilli (long chilli is preferable)

1 A. 100g. Kashmiri mirchi or Bengaluru byadagi menasu (optional)

2. 250g. Coriander seeds

3. 100g. Cumin seeds

4. 100g. Fenugreek

5. 100g. Mustard

6. 100g. Black Pepper

7. 100g. Toor daal

8. 100g. Bengal gram

9. 3-4 pieces Turmeric root or 2 tbs. of turmeric powder to be mixed with the saambaar powder.

10. A big bunch of Curry leaves

Method:

Collect all the ingredients and dry them on a paper or tray in the sun. I keep everything in a huge aluminium tray, cover it with a thin cloth (tuck the edges under the tray) and dry it. We get many pigeons near our house and they are after the daal in the tray, so we cover it for this reason and to avoid dust!

I dry the curry leaves with the stem as shown in the picture separately because it take a bit more time to dry and mix it with the other ingredients later. Turmeric root should be mashed a bit or else the grinder machinewala might refuse to grind it - just break them with a Mortar & Pestle (too elaborate name in English, so click on this word to see the picture!). Please give me the Hindi name, I have forgotten!

If you don't get enough sunlight or if it is rainy season, you can slightly dry roast all the ingredients, one by one...just enough to dry it, not roast it. The powder will be better if the ingredients are dry and will last longer.

Kashmiri mirchi or byadige menasu is optional. I add it just to give colour to the powder/saambaar. You can increase this chilli more and the other one less, if you are not used to hot and spicy saambaar!

Send it to the dry grinding machine for powdering. When you bring back the powder, it will be hot. Don't cover the lid because the sweat from the hot powder will drip into the powder which might spoil the it in due course. Just cover it with a thin paper until it cools down and then store it in an airtight container (like a tupperware container...I was a dealer once, so the habit doesn't leave me for an opportunity to canvas!). I keep a small quantity, in a small bottle for daily usage so that the freshly ground smell does not leave the powder!

One more tip: We send a cup of tuvar daal in a small container separately to the machine. We ask the drygrinderwala to 'run' this daal through the machine to collect the remaining powder from the machine, which we use while making saambar (the ingredients we use here are too expensive...we can't leave the powder to the machinewala...I used to follow these things like a ritual until a few years back, now don't bother that much!).

2 table spoonfull of powder is enough for a litre of saambaar. You can increase or decrease the quantity as per your taste, gradually.

Hope this recipe is clear and easy to follow. I would be happy if you can give suggestions to improve my presentation.

Maagaali Kizhangu, Thayir Oorugai (Pickle)

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This pickle is my son's/my family's favourite and I was asked by many in the family to give the recipe for a long time and here it is.
Maagaali Kizhangu (Decalepis root) pickle - this is a very famous pickle in South India.  In Kannada, we call it Maagaali beru, in Tamil, Maagaali kizhangu.  This is a root vegetable, which has got a very strong smell (flavour) which some people do not like and people who like the smell, love it.    This pickle can be prepared in two types.  Let me  give you the pickle recipe in which curd is used.

The photo of the maagaali kizhangu above, was taken after it was washed, so looks glossy!

This root is available in the vegetable markets during season, around September to January, I think. Trichi in Tamilnadu (as far as I know), is famous for this root vegetable.  We have to select the roots by scratching the skin of the root.  It should be tender and nearly white inside. If the root is not tender, it will not soften after we prepare the pickle.   I bought 1 Kg. of this root. But after cleaning, I got only 3 cups of cut pieces.  So I will give the ingredients for 3 cups of pieces.

First step:

Soak the roots in a tub of water for sometime.  The mud, which is sticking, should come out. Then peel out the outer skin and drop them, one by one, immediately in a big vessel filled with water in which a half cup of butter milk is added.  Butter milk prevents the root from becoming dark brown in colour.

Second step:



This root has got a stick-like thing in the center (thandu).  So take a root from the water, slice it and cut into very small pieces, as shown in the photo.  Throw away the stick.  These pieces also should be dropped into another vessel with water and buttermilk.   No need to measure the water in the vessel because we will throw away this water, later! Only this step will take more time.

Cut pieces in curd and water mixture.

Let me give you the list of the ingredients now, for the third step:

1.  3 Cups of cut pieces of the root
2.  1 Cup  sea salt
3.  1 tsp. Turmeric (haldi) powder
4.  8 - 10 Green Chillies (sliced into two pieces - you can add more if you like)
5.  3 Tsp. Mustard seeds
6.  10 - 12 Red Chillies
7.  5 - 6 cups curd (no need for sour curd, if it is slightly sour also, no problem)
8.  3 Lemon (juice) - optional.

Third Step:



Measure the cut pieces of maagaali root.  Put them in a vessel.

Grind/powder, mustard seeds and red chillies in a mixer.  Now, add this powder and all the other ingredients into the vessel.  If you add more chillies, please remember to add more salt. If you like lemon flavour, add the lemon juice also.
Mix well and store in a glass or non-corrosive (tupperware - I was a tupperware dealer and has got this habit of recommending it and it is good for storing pickle also, really!) bottle.  I am storing it in an old 1 litre Horlicks bottle (I have got 2 for the past many years - old treasures!) for the past one year.  I am not storing it in the fridge but it is still good.  The curd has not become sour!

This root has got many ayurvedic properties and is used in preparing medicines, I believe.Wiki says so!

Try it and let me know if you like it.  I would also like to know if the way I write,  is easy to follow.
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