Juicing Sugarcane / Sugarcane Juice Recipe / Sugarcane Recipes

0

Juicing Sugarcane / Sugarcane Juice Recipe / Sugarcane Recipes 

Today's recipe is made with another seasonal ingredient - sugar cane. The markets and shops are full of sugarcane sticks during pongal and the following month. This year my mom in law made the famous sweet  pongal dish with this sugarcane. It tasted awesome. I did plan to post the same but as told earlier, I was very busy to capture and update. But I sure would do the same in the coming posts one day.

But for today, it's the sugarcane juice. Everybody I feel loves this sugarcane juice. My kids love ❤ this juice and they also love chewing the pieces as well. I make it a point to see that they eat the seasonal foods which are said to be loaded with nutrition and health thereby increasing the immunity in them.
This sugarcane juice is so very easy to prepare with no additional ingredients at all. Just peel the skin, chop into small pieces and put them in blender to extract the juice. So lets start off. 

Preparation

Peel the skin of the sugarcane sticks with the help of a knife 🔪.

Then chop into small pieces removing the pieces that are hard in between.

Put these pieces in a blender ( mixie ) with little water. Add little water just enough to run the mixie jar. If you add too much water, then the juice will get diluted and will lose its sweetness.

Mixie well and strain the juice using a filter. Squeeze the pulp with your hands in the filter.

Repeat the process until you are done with all the pieces.

Add lemon juice if desired with some ice cubes and enjoy this drink with your family and friends. 

Ingredients

Sugarcane 1/2 a stick

Method

1. Peel the skin of the sugarcane with knife.
   
2. Chop into small pieces.
3. Put in a mixie jar and mixie with little water.
4. Filter the juice and squeeze the pulp with your hands.
5. Add lemon juice and ice cubes according to your liking and serve.
   

Notes

• Do not add too much water while grinding in the mixie. Just add enough water to run the mixie.
  
• I served plain juice as my kids prefer it that way.

Continue ...

how to cook cauliflower indian style / gobi kurma curry / cauliflower recipes for rice or roti /

0

 Cauliflower Gravy Curry / Cauliflower Kurma Curry / Gobi Curry for rice or roti 

 

This is the season for fresh and cheap veggies. All the veggies are so fresh and they are available in such cheap prices that whenever I visit the Santhe here, I tend to buy all veggies which are way too much for a family of four. I get really tempted to buy fresh and seasonal veggies which are available only in some seasons. Cauliflower is one such veggie which is available in different sizes especially during the winter season. On one such Sunday, I found the local market filled with cauliflowers ( so fresh ) that I couldn´t resist myself from purchasing four cauliflowers.

My family loves cauliflower in any way - cauliflower green peas fry, gravy, kurma etc,. I also add small pieces of cauliflower in upmas as well. They simply love the addition of cauliflower in basically anything. Since I had many cauliflowers at hand, I thought of preparing cauliflower kurma recipe. This is an Indian style of cooking cauliflower which is very easy to make with simple ingredients.

This cauliflower gravy or gobi curry is a perfect side dish for many varieties - chapathi, roti, naan, dosa, rice, pulav or any other mildly flavoured rice variety. This kurma curry was so much loved by my kids. This is indeed a spicy curry, but I have reduced the spice to suit my kids taste buds. All the spice lovers out there can increase the spice according to your liking.  

The secret to such an immense flavour and aroma to this cauliflower curry lies in the list of the ingredients that go into the preparation of the masala ( gravy ). Each ingredient blends so well with the others making it an ultimate combo that suits very well with the cooked and roasted cauliflower florets. Needless to mention, this is yet another healthy food recipe that has been added to this blog . I hope each one of you will prepare this spicy and flavourful curry and enjoy with your family.

You can also view my Mixed Vegetable Curry which tastes amazing with chapathi or naan.

Preparation

Separate the cauliflower into small florets and wash carefully. Make sure that you remove all the insects if any. Cook these florets in water until they change their colour slightly and become a little softer.

While the florets are getting cooked, we will prepare the masala. Grind onion, garlic, ginger, cashew, poppy seeds, cloves, dalchin, coconut pieces and cardamom in a mixie to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Now if the florets are done, switch off the flame and drain the water.

Do not throw away the water. We are going to use this water for the preparation of this gobi kurma. Keep the cooked pieces in a colander. Take a pan and heat 1 tbsp. of oil in it. Add the cooked cauliflower florets and let them get roasted for a while. Keep stirring occasionally.

Once they are roasted, transfer to another plate and set aside. In the same pan, add remaining oil and add cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add turmeric powder and add the ground masala.

Add salt and mix well and allow it cook on a low flame until the masala releases the oil on the sides. While this is getting cooked, prepare the tomato puree and keep aside.

Once the masala releases oil on the sides, add the tomato puree and mix well.

Add coriander powder and chilli powder and cook covered on a low flame ....

....until you see oil floating on the top of the gravy.

Now add water and add the roasted cauliflower florets and mix.

Add milk and cook for some more time.

Check for salt and spice and switch off the flame.

Serve hot after garnishing with cream and coriander leaves. 

Ingredients

Cauliflower 2 ( small ) Or 6 cups of florets

Chilli powder 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves to garnish

Oil 3 tbsp

Tomatoes 2  ( small )

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Turmeric 1 tsp

Coriander powder 1 1/2 tsp

Milk 1/2 cup

To Grind

Onion 2 ( diced )

Cashew 1/4 cup

Garlic 6

Ginger 1"piece

Poppy seeds 3 tsp

Cloves 4

Dalchin 1"piece

Coconut 3 tbsp ( finely chopped )

Cardamom 2

Method

1. Wash the florets, blanch and keep aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a pan and fry the florets. Transfer to a plate and keep aside.
3. Grind all the ingredients that are mentioned under ´´ To Grind ´´ and prepare the masala.
4. Heat remaining oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and turmeric powder.
5. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the ground masala and salt and mix well.
6. Cook on a low flame until the oil releases from the sides. 
7. Now add the tomato puree, chilli powder and coriander powder and mix well. Cook covered on a low flame until the oil starts floating on top of the gravy. 
8. Now add some water, fried cauliflower florets and milk. Mix well. 
9. Check for salt and spice and cook for a few more minutes. 
10. Garnish with coriander leaves and cream and serve hot with rice, roti, chapathi, dosa or any other flavored rice.

Notes

• You can increase or decrease the amount of spice as per your desire. 
• Adding milk is optional but it gives a richness to the curry. 
• Other veggies like green peas, beans, potatoes can also be added to this kurma curry.

Continue ...

How to make pumpkin halwa / Kaddu Ka Halwa / Pumpkin Halwa Recipe

0

How to make pumpkin halwa  / Pumpkin Halwa Recipe / Pumpkin Halwa Recipe Step by Step / Kaddu Ka Halwa  

Hurrayyyyyy!....this is my hundredth post in my blog. Successfully completed 99 posts in my blog. All of them are mostly healthy, tasty and delicious. All the recipes are tried and tested in my kitchen. My biggest critics are my husband and daughter. They are big foodies and love tasty food.

On the occasion of my hundredth post, I initially thought of posting a simple and delicious cake, but I wanted to post some dessert which is healthy. So I changed my mind to post sweet pumpkin halwa. And I have reserved the cake recipe for the upcoming Christmas season. 

This pumpkin ka halwa is very delicious. It is a lip smacking dessert or sweet dish that my daughter loved it to the core. Soft, sweet and rich halwa that is prepared with grated pumpkin is a perfect treat for any occasion. Be it for Prasadam, festive occasion or any get-together, it suits all the occasions. It is also very easy to prepare in minutes with not much of preparation. So let's go ahead and prepare this lip smacking easy sweet dish and serve our family and guests.

Preparation

Heat ghee in a pan, preferably non stick pan.

Fry broken or whole cashews in the ghee until light brown in colour.

Remove the fried cashews to another plate. Add raisins in the remaining ghee and saute until they puff up.

Remove to a plate and add the grated pumpkin in the remaining ghee.

Sauté for 3-4 minutes and add milk.

Mix well and cover with a lid. Cook on a low flame until the pumpkin becomes soft.

Add sugar and mix well.

Now cook uncovered until the sugar is completely dissolved. When all the water is absorbed and the halwa thickens, add the roasted cashews and raisins and mix well.

Finish off with cardamom powder and pepper powder and switch off the flame.

Mix well and serve warm or chilled. In both ways, it tastes great. You can also garnish with pumpkin seeds to get an extra nutty flavour.

Ingredients

Pumpkin  3 cups ( grated )

Ghee  2 tbsp

Cashews  Few

Raisins  Few

Milk  1 1/2 cups

Sugar  1 cup

Cardamom powder  1 big pinch

Pepper Powder 1 pinch

Pumpkin seeds  to garnish

Method

1. Grate pumpkin and keep aside. 
2. Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashews and raisins. Remove to another plate. 
3. Add the grated pumpkin in the remaining ghee and saute for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add milk and cook covered until the pumpkin becomes soft. 
5. Add the sugar and cook uncovered until the sugar dissolves completely. 
6. Cook until the water is completely evaporated and the residue thickens. 
7. Add the roasted dry fruits and cardamom powder and pepper powder.
8. Mix well and switch off the flame. 
9. Garnish with extra dry fruits or pumpkin seeds. 
10. Serve warm or chilled as per your desire.

Notes

• You can add other dry fruits like almonds, dates and pistachios as per your choice. 
• Adding milk is optional. You can also add water and prepare this pumpkin halwa. Addition of milk gives richness to the dessert and tastes awesome. You can also add more milk if you want it more rich. Some people also add khova to give an extra richness. 
• In the similar way, we can also prepare lauki ki halwa and other amazing sweets which I will be posting very soon. So be tuned, my friends. 
• After you add sugar, it releases more water but do not panic. Cook until all the water is evaporated.

Continue ...

how to cook chayote vegetable / Kootu Recipes

0

how to cook chayote vegetable / Chow chow Kootu / Kootu Recipes

Kootu is a traditional dish which can be prepared with any kind of vegetables mixed with lentils. It can also be referred to as a stew which is of semi gravy consistency. Kootu is a Tamilnadu dish which is popular all over India especially in South India.

Today´s recipe is a kootu dish prepared with chow chow. Chow chow is also known a Chayote squash in English. There are different names in different languages for this veggie. In Hindi, it is known as Ishkus, in Tamil - Seemai Kathirikai, in Kannada - Seeme Badanekayi and in Telugu - Bangalore Vankaya or Seema Vankaya.

This chayote ( chow chow ) belongs to the squash or gourd family and is very low in calories. It is rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is also very rich in Folate Vitamin. This is a versatile veggie that can be used in the preparation of dry curries, gravy curries, sambar and kootu.

Today´s recipe is chow chow kootu. This kootu is a perfect combo for roti or chapathi. This also goes well with plain rice. The addition of lentils like channa dal and moong dal makes it a wholesome dish which is very healthy.

Preparation

Peel the skin of the chow chow and discard the inner seed. Chop them into small bite sized pieces. Keep aside. Grind roasted channa dal, green chillies, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and coconut to a coarse paste.

Add diced tomatoes and grind once again to make a smooth paste.

Keep this paste aside.

Heat a pressure cooker and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

When they splutter, add chopped onions and sauté until they become translucent.

Add turmeric powder and mix.

Now add the ground paste and mix well. Add salt and sugar.

To this, add the chopped chow chow pieces, washed lentils ( channa dal and moong dal ) and sambar masala powder.

Mix well and add little water sufficient to cook the chow chow and the lentils.

Check for seasoning and cook with the lid on. Cook for 3-4 whistles and switch off the flame. Serve hot with roti, chapathi or rice.

Ingredients

Chow chow 3 ( medium sized )

Onion 1

Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp

Oil 2 tbsp.

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Sambar masala  1tsp

Moong dal 1/4 cup

Channa dal 1/4 cup

Sugar 1 tsp

To grind

Coconut 2 tbsp.

Garlic 5 pods

Ginger 1" piece

Green chillies 3

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Roasted channa dal 2 tbsp.

Method

1. Grind all the ingredients given under to grind list. Keep aside. 
2. Heat oil in a pressure pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. 
3. When they splutter, add onion and sauté until pink in colour. 
4. Add turmeric powder, the ground masala paste, salt and sugar. 
5. Mix well and add the chopped chow chow pieces, washed lentils and sambar masala powder. 
6. Mix well and add enough water to cook the lentils and veggies. 
7. Cover with the lid and cook for 3-4 whistles. 
8. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes

• You can skip the roasted channa dal but it gives a nice thickness to the kootu. 
• Sambar masala gives a unique flavour to the curry. If you do not have that handy, simply add little Garam masala powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. 
• You can skip the green chillies during grinding and add chilli powder while cooking to get a nice red colour to the kootu. Or you could also add dry red chillies while grinding. 
• I have washed the lentils before adding to the curry.

Continue ...