Miss you baby.....

      Just a few minutes back, the train left and we said bye to our li'l angel with a heavy heart. Back home, I find the house totally empty and deserted without my li'l one around. It's all soooo quiet that one can hear one's own breathing.

     When my daughter planned to go out for three days, I thought I will complete my pending household work without any disturbance. My woollens are not yet packed as we had lots of guests back to back (the long weekends). Saturdays are working for me and of course, the li'l one always wanting to help me in all my work. But I was wrong. I just do not feel like doing anything without him. Kuch bhi achha nahi lag raha hai. I do not know how to spend time without him.

     But I'm also happy for him because he is going to meet his 'dadu and dadi'. He just loves to travel. The news of him going to meet his grandparents was told to him yesterday. Since then he is so excited to go. We could make him do all his routine work saying, 'do this quickly otherwise you will get late for your journey' and he was so prompt in doing everything.

    As soon as he reached school, he went on announcing this news to one and all. The train was in the evening. So the whole day he kept asking, 'has the train come?' (train vandachha?) Even though he was excited the whole day, just before leaving he started saying 'you both also come with me' (neenga rendu perum vanga). We assured him that we will  join him next time. He happily hugged us and waved his tiny li'l hands and went. I'm sure he will enjoy his stay with his dadu and dadi and spread immense happiness there also. Already missing you baby.... Love you.

The evergreen samosa

     Samosa is one of my favourite snacks (who doesn't like samosas?!) and I very badly wanted Abi to like this (it tastes better when you have company :). Fortunately our staff here is very good at making samosas and I learnt this from him. I've modified it to Abi's taste and made it with less spice. Abi likes the outer crust more than the stuffing because of the vegetables inside, but thankfully he doesn't leave it out altogether.

    So, needless to say this goes to the BM#62 under Kid's Delight-snacks for toddlers. Samosas take me to my early days of married life. As I was making samosas for the BM entry, an interesting incident which happened over the samosas, flashed back to my mind. I wrote this for my blog. You will have a hearty laugh when you read it and may bring back similar memories to share with us.

Ingredients for the wrap:                                          

• Maida - 2 cup                                                  
• Ajwain - 1 teaspoon (as per taste)                   
• Oil - 3 tablespoons                                          
• Warm water- as required                                
• Salt - to taste                                                                                                                          

Method:                                                                    

1. Mix all the ingredients except the oil.
2. Add oil and mix the flour till it looks like granules.
3. Add warm water little at a time and knead the flour until smooth but tight and keep aside.

For the filling:                                                       

• Potatoes - 5 0r 6 nos
• Peas - 1 tablespoon
• Red chilli powder - as per taste
• Green chillies - as per taste
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Coriander leaves - chopped
• Cashew nuts/raisins - chopped 
• Coriander seeds - 1to 1/2 teaspoon
• Fennel seeds(Saunf) - 1 teaspoon
• Dry mango powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Cashew nuts and Raisins - (optional)
• Salt - to taste

Method:

• Boil, peel and break the potatoes into small pieces and mash some of them.

• Boil the peas with a little salt and just enough water.    

• Heat oil in a pan. Add coarsely ground coriander and saunf, green chillies, ginger and saute them for a few minutes.

• Add the vegetables and salt, dry mango powder, red chilli powder and chopped nuts and fry for 2 to3 minutes. Switch off the gas and let it cool. Add finely chopped coriander leaves.

• Take a small ball of the dough and roll it like puri. Cut the puri into two pieces.

• Take one half of the puri, wet the cut portion with water and close it to make a cone.

• Hold the cone in the hand, fill in a spoonful of  vegetable filling in the center, apply water all around the rim and press it nicely to close the samosa.

• Heat oil in a pan and fry the samosas on a medium heat till they turn golden brown.

• Serve hot with green chutney or sweet and sour chutney or tomato sauce. For more such recipes check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#62 .

1. Filling 2. Roll out aata 3.fold the aata 4, Fill it 5. Close it. 6. Fry it

Unniyappam

   Yet another day of school for my li'l one and a Himalayan task for me deciding his tiffin box menu (and for all those mothers who pack lunch for their kids)! When my daughter was young, I did not have to do "lunch packing" for her as she went to a boarding school. 
   I think now it is payback time! Abi is a very picky eater. So every evening I have to start a brainstorming session with my daughter as to what to make for his lunch the next morning. The ideal criteria is that he will actually eat without a fuss, it doesn't spill, it doesn't dirty his clothes too much - very high standards! Sometimes we are successful and sometimes we are not. Here I am posting one such success. I am sure most kids will like this because it is sweet and parents will like this because it's healthy. 

   This is a traditional south Indian recipe called 'unniyappam'. I made this day before yesterday and packed around 10 of them in Abi's tiffin box. I am not sure whether he ate them all himself or the other kids did, but his tiffin box was polished clean!  

bananas maida atta, jaggery and grated coconut        

dates, raisins, dried ginger and cardamom powder

          

 Ingredients:   
                                                                                                            

 1. Maida : 1/2 cup

 2. Atta (whole wheat flour): 1/2 cup

 3. Banana : 1

 4. Jaggery : 125 gms

 5. grated coconut: 2 tablespoons

 6. A pinch each of dried ginger and cardamom powder

 7. Chopped dates : 4 nos

 8. Raisins - 10 - 15 ( or any other dried fruits)  

 9.Lukewarm water : 1&1/2 cups
10. Ghee for frying

Method:

1. Soak the jaggery in the lukewarm water and stir occasionally till it melts completely.

2. Mash the banana in a bowl. Add the maida and atta into the mashed banana. 

3. Pour the jaggery water (once it is cooled and melted) through a strainer into the banana atta mix.

4. Mix this batter well such that the atta and maida form no lumps.

5. Add the rest of the ingredients into the batter. Check the consistency. If it's too thick, add some water and if it is too thin, add some wheat flour. The right consistency is as shown in the picture here.

6. Heat the appam mould. Now pour about 1/4th tsp of ghee into each of the holes/depressions of the appam mould.

7. Pour the batter into these holes. Allow it to cook for two minutes or so. When the sides appear brown in colour, turn the unniyappams upside down and cook for another 2 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check. If it comes clean, it's ready!

That's it! Enjoy eating hot!

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#62

Snacks for toddlers - Namak para

   Evenings are the best time to munch something along with our hot beverages. After a long day of hard work when my daughter comes home in the evening she goes around looking for some crunchy munchies (which happens rarely). On one such evening she found these namak paras. She asked for them with some mango pickle. Abi saw his mother eating and wanted to try it but was very scared that the pickle  might be too spicy for him. After watching his mom enjoy the snacks, he too mustered some courage to try them. Believe me, he liked it so much including the pickle. The pickle was homemade, so less spice in it. Ever since he asks for namak para with achar only so we give very less. Just seeing the pickle by the side of namak para he is happy to eat. Thus, I choose the theme of snacks for toddlers for this month BM. I personally do not like to give too much of maida to my li'l one so I keep experimenting with the basic recipes. This particular one is a result of that successful experiment and a hit with adults as well. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#62.
Now for the recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Maida - 2 cups
2. Wheat flour - 1 cup
3. Sooji/ semolina - 1/3 cup
4. Ajwain - 1 teaspoon
5. Salt, pepper - to taste
6. Oil - 1/2 cup (for kneading)
7. Oil - for frying

Method:

1. Mix all the flour, ajwain, salt and pepper  together.
2. Add the oil to the flour and rub (gently) them together with both hands till they resemble bread crumbs.
3. Now add water a little at a time and knead to make a tight (like for samosa) dough.Cover and let it stand for 10 minutes.
4. Take an orange sized ball of the dough and roll a slightly thick chapati. Prick all over the chapati with a fork.  
5. Now with the help of a knife, cut it into desired shapes.
6. Deep fry them in medium heat oil till they turn golden brown.
7. Drain and store them in a airtight container.

Thengai Paal / Coconut Milk

   
   Do not get confused with the name 'coconut milk'. This is not the extract of coconut. It is a drink made out of the coconut extract. One of the most trusted home remedy for cold and cough, my maternal grandmother used to make this lovely drink for us even if we did not have cold. Such a delicacy! It does not taste like that any more without my naani around. Miss you naani! Again this dish brings lots of beautiful memories of my childhood and makes me nostalgic.

Ingredients:

• Milk of 2 coconuts (or 2 cups if using frozen milk)
• Sugar - as per taste
• Dry ginger powder - 1 teaspoon
• Pepper - 5 to 6 nos
• Clove - 5 nos
• Cardamom - 5 nos

Method:

• Boil the coconut milk, stirring all the while till it becomes a little thick.

• Now add ground pepper, clove and sukku/ dry ginger powder and cook for five minutes.

• Add sugar, keep cooking till it dissolves completely.

• Remove from the gas, add cardamom powder.

• Serve hot.

 Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#62

Thengai Opputtu

   

I like any sweet dish made with coconut. This particular one is a traditional recipe which my grandmother and my mother used to make. As there was no dearth of coconut in our home, this simple and quick dish was prepared for unannounced guests. Moreover, those days people did not buy sweets from markets like we do now. 

   In spite of all the new arrivals, these traditional ones have not lost their place. As my daughter's birthday also falls in this month and we are running this BM with theme 'cooking with coconut', I chose to make 'thengai opputtu' (I do not know what is it called in any other language). Needless to say, it turned out well and everyone enjoyed it. Now for the recipe!

Ingredients:

For stuffing:                                                                   For the dough:

• Coconut, fresh, grated - 1 cup                                Maida / flour - 1/2 cup
• brown sugar /gud - 4 tablespoons                           Powdered sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Dry fruits finely chopped - 1 tablespoon                  Water - As required
• Cardamom - 4 nos
• Ghee - As required for cooking

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, add the flour and powdered sugar.

• Add water little at a time and knead it into a smooth dough (like for bhatura) and keep aside.

• Put the grated coconut in a blender and run it for a few seconds with stops in between. Be careful that the coconut does not become a paste but instead should just shred it smaller. The smaller the coconut flakes, the better it will taste in the filling.

• In a pan, add the coconut and sugar and fry them on a medium heat till nicely mixed and the sugar dissolves. 

• Fry the dry fruits in ghee and add them into the coconut mixture. Add cardamom powder mix it and let it cool. Once it is cooled, take a spoonful of the mixer and make ladoos of it. Set aside.

• Now apply oil / ghee on your hand, take a small ball of the dough, spread it in your palm and fill in the coconut mixture.

• Wrap the dough such that it covers the coconut ladoo nicely. Apply ghee on a rolling board (banana leaf or polythene sheet), keep the covered ladoo on it and start pressing it lightly with your hand so that it becomes like a chapati. Basically, it is like making stuffed parantha.

•  Heat a tawa, spread some ghee and place the opputtu on it. Cook for a minute or two, then turn the side, sprinkle some ghee and cook till done.

• Serve hot or cold.

For more recipes check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#62

Coconut Rice

   Coconut has been one of the most commonly used ingredients in our home. As children, we used to have coconut with vellam / panangaruppatti (gud) or simply with salt and red chilli powder as our evening snacks. Since we have coconut trees in our farm itself, we, siblings had our choice of coconut (from which tree it should come). Now of course,living in the opposite end of the country, we are more than happy as long as we get one! 

   So, coconut was my obvious choice for this month BM as my childhood memories came alive with it. Coconut rice is not only my all time favourite but many of my friends love it as well. They often used to tell me to make this for them. Now for the recipe of this simple and easy to make dish.

Ingredients:

• Grated coconut - 1 cup  or 1/2 coconut
• Cooked and cooled rice - 2 cups
• Oil - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard seeds - 1/2  teaspoon
• Jeera - 1/4 teaspoon
• Chana dal - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad dal (white) -1/2 teaspoon
• Red chillies -3 or 4 nos
• Chopped onion - 1 medium 
• Curry leaves - A few
• Salt - To taste

Method:

• Heat a pan with oil. Add the mustard seeds. 
• Once the mustard splutters, add jeera, red chillies, chana dal and urad dal. 
• When the dals turn golden brown, add onion and curry leaves. Fry till the onion turns translucent.
•  Now add the grated coconut and fry for a minute add salt and the rice. Mix well and remove from heat.
• Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Tips:

* You can use left over rice.

* Do not fry the coconut too much, else the oil will come out.

* Onion is optional

* Increase or decrease seasoning according to your taste

  It is a simple yet delicious dish. Sure you will try it and enjoy this as much as I enjoyed putting this up for the Blogging Marathon. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#62.