Wednesday, July 30, 2014

1-2-3 Pancake - Eggless Chocolate Pancake

      This is the most easiest pancake, ever in my life. It doesn't need any beating or whipping, as we do for our pancakes with eggs. The oil replaces egg and gives a gliding effect to the pancakes. With 3 easy steps, we can prepare the pancake in no time.Just add the dry ingredients with the wet and cook. Its that easy. Wven kids can prepare this .

* Check my fluffy pancake recipe here
             * Check the Home made chocolate recipe here. 

Source : here.
Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
Yield : 8 approx


Ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
1.Flour - 1 1/4 cups
2.Baking powder - 1 tsp
3.Cocoa - 4 tbsp
4.Salt - 1/4 tsp

Wet ingredients:
1.Oil - 4 1/2 tbsp
2.Vanilla - 2 tsp
3.Milk - 11/2 cups


Method:
Step 1:
* Take the flour,cocoa powder,salt  and baking powder in a pan. Sieve them all together to get a lump free batter. This will also make the baking powder to mix well with the flour.Take milk.oil and vanilla in a separate bowl and mix them well.
Step 2 :
* Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture .Use a wire whisk to mix the wet ingredients with the dry . The batter should be lump free.
Step 3 :
* Heat a tawa , pour a laddle full of batter on the tawa.Don't spread it . The batter will spread automatically.Within a minute,we will be able to see pores on top of the pancake. Now flip it around and after a minute. remove it from the tawa.

Serve it with butter and drizzle with chocolate syrup.Pancakes tastes good, when they are served hot.

































Notes:
* Don't alter the amount of the ingredeints.
* Cook the pancakes, till we see the pores on top, if not it may become rubbery.
* we can alter the flavour with almonds extract.

Friday, July 11, 2014

Onion samosa - சமோசா - Step by step - Friendship 5 Series

       For this month's "Friendship 5 series", the theme is going to be "Childhood memories ".  When I thought of what to blog about, this special samosa came to my mind immediately. When I was studying in my middle school @ St.Marys school, Chengalpet, our school canteen will have these samosas,some candies during our morning break. When the bell rings, we will go and flood the small area, where these samosas were sold. It would cost us around 50 paise for small onion samosas or rupee 1 for big punjabi samosas. It will not be a daily routine, but whenever ,mom gives us pocket money ( around rupee 1) , I will not miss to buy these samosas.
    These small happiness , can never be bought with anything else in the world. Those were days, where we will be happy about small things. May be the search for good food , in the early ages, would have made me a happy food blogger now:). 
Coming to the recipe, these are small samosa, which can be prepared in short period. I have given the short cut to make many samosa sheets at a time. We can also use samosa sheets, which are readily available in Indian stores and use them to prepare the samosas.The filling can be altered accordingly.


Preparationg time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Yield : 10 medium samosas

Ingredients:
For the dough :
1.Maida - 1 cup + 2 tbsp (for dusting)
2.Oil - 1 tbsp
3.Salt - 1/2 tsp
4.Water - as needed

For the filling :
1.Onion - 1 big
2.Green chillies - 2
3.Chilli powder - 1 tsp
4.Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
5.Garam masala - 1/4 tsp (optional)
6.Salt - as needed
7.Oil - for frying + tempering
8.Cilantro - few

For the glue:
1.Maida - 2 tbsp
2.Water - 1 tbsp


Method:
* Thinly slice the onions lenthwise. Take a pan, add oil and saute onions,chopped green chillies. When the onion turns transparent, add chilli powder,turmeric powder and garam masala.Saute till the raw smell of the masala is removed.
* Finally add the chopped cilantro to the onion . Cool the filling. While the filling is cooling, lets prepare the outer cover. Take a bowl, add maida,salt and oil. Add water little by little and form a smooth dough. The dough should be bit stiff. Not too stiff. Cover the dough and let it rest for atleast 10 minutes.

* Flour the working surface. Divide the dough into equal sized balls. Roll the dough into an oval shaped roti. Trim the edges to form a rectangle.Now , apply oil on top of the rectangle and sprinkle little flour on top.Similarly roll all the other doughs into rectangles , applying oil and flour in between. This way, we can prepare the outer cover of the samosa in a batch, instead of working on every single samosa.

* Now heat a tawa and place the stacked rectangles. Let them cook for a minute, on both sides. Now remove the rectangles , into thin sheets. As in the picture on the right.
* Take a small cup, add maida and water to form a simple paste. Roll the rectangle sheet into a cone. Scoop a small amount of onion filling and insert it inside the samosa, like that of the picture in the right. Now apply the maida paste on the corners and fold it . The samosa should be sealed well. If not the filling will come out , while frying.
* Prepare the samosas similarly . Take a pan of oil and heat it. Fry the samosas in medium hot oil, in batches.The samosa has to be cooked in medium hot oil throughout. We can also,fry the samosas till they are half cooked and double fry them to get crispier samosas.Strain the samosas on a hand towel. Serve it with ketchup or mint chutney.
                               
                                   Also check my "Punjabi samosa " recipe here.

Notes:
* The dough should be kneaded well. If the dough is so loose, then the samosas will drink lot of oil.
* The spice level of the filling can be altered according to our taste.
* We can also partially fry the samosas and freeze them in a ziploc bag. When we need , we can just fry them again to serve it crispier.
* We can also add 1/2 cup of maida and 1/2 cup of wheat flour to get a healthier samosa.
* We can also add some poha to the filling. This will absorb the moisture of the onion and make the samosa crispy.



Linking this to "Friendship Five " series started by "Geetha Achal" and "Savitha Ramesh"


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Roasted coconut candy - கமர் கட்டு - step by step - Friendship 5 series

Next in Childhood memory series, I have kamarkat. Its one of the fast moving candies in petty shops.Kamarkat is a hard candy made of roasted coconut and jaggery. This is a one of the favourite candies of kids of 1980 's. This is a traditional cadies, which can be available in small petty shops in our home town. The colour of the kamarkat depends on the colour of the jaggery. I got a light colour jaggery from Indian store, hence the colour. If not the colour of the candy should be dark brown. 

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Yield :12 approx

Ingredients:
1. Shredded coconut - 1 cup
2.Shredded jaggery - 1 1/4 cup to 1 1/3 cup
3.Rice flour - 1 tbsp
4.Cardamom pwdr - a pinch
5.Ghee - 1 tbsp
6.Water- as needed

Method : 
* Shred the coconut and jagger and keep it ready. I have used 1 1/4 cup of jaggery, if you have a really sweet tooth, then increase it to 1 1/2 cups.
* Take a heavy bottomed pan, add ghee and heat it. Roast the shredded coconut in ghee .The whole process has to take place in medium flame.If not the coconut will turn colour quickly, without getting roasted well.

* Here is the roasted coconut. Always use heavy bottomed pan to roast the coconut, if not it will change colour quickly. Transfer the coconut to a plate and let it get  cooled. Mean while let us prepare the sryup.
* Take jaggery  in a pan. Cover it with water. Don't add too much water, then syrup will take more time to cook. Let the syrup come to boil. Strain the jaggery syrup using a filter. Transfer the filtered syrup to the pan. Turn the flame to medium low. Now check for the conistancy often. Stop the flame , when the syrup reaches hard ball consistancy.
* If you are using a candy thermometer, then the reading should be,260 degree Farenhiet or 126 degree celcius. We can also check the consistancy, by dropping the syrup on a plate of water. We should be able to take the syrup out like a hard ball, as shown in picture.
* Turn the flame to low, once hard ball consistancy is reached. Slowly add the roasted coconut and rice flour. Mix them well and let them get cooked for a minute. Add the cardamom powder to the mixture and mix.
* Now our kamarkat mixture is ready to be shaped. Grease your hands with ghee or just wet your hands. Scoop out a tbsp of kamarkat mixture and roll them into a ball.

* Take a plate and sprinkle rice flour on top of it. Place the rolled kamarkat on the plate. This prevents the kamarkat from sticking to the plate.
                                     Store the kamarkats in clean air tight containers.

Notes:
* If the sugar syrup is not right ,then we cannot shape the kamarkats .
* We can increase or decrease the jaggery .
* The coconut has to be roasted well.
* We can store the kamarkat in air tight containers for atleast 2 days.
Linking this to "Friendship Five " series started by "Geetha Achal" and "Savitha Ramesh"

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Rose Milk - How to make rose syrup at home - Step by step - Friendship 5 series

      Next in "childhood memory " series, I have rose milk. Rose milk is a very famous summer drink in India. We used to prepare this drink to quench the thirst. Whenever we go out to dine, then this drink will be there in my list. Still the love for rose milk, has never decreased. This recipe is pretty easy and quick too. If we have the syrup handy, we can prepare the drink, within minutes. We can prepare the rose milk and store in refrigerator for atleast 2 days. Adjust the sugar level according to your taste.

Ingredients:
To prepare rose syrup:
1.Sugar - 1/2 cup
2.Water - 1/4 cup
3.Rose essence - 1 tsp
4.Pink food colour - few drops

To Prepare rose milk:
1.Rose syrup - 2 tbsp
2.Milk - 1 cup
3.Ice cubes- few
4. Sugar - few tsp ( optional )

Method:
To prepare Rose syrup:
* Take sugar in a cup with water. Mix it thoroughly. Cook on medium flame , till it reaches 1 string consistancy. That is when we drop the syrup, it should stay in the plate like a pearl. When we take the syrup between our thumb and index fingure, it should form a thread.This is the right consistancy.
let the syrup .


* When the syrup has cooled, add the rose syrup to it. The amount of rose syrup can be altered according to our taste. Add pink colour to the syrup.


Now our rose  syrup is ready. Transfer the syrup to a clean and bottle.Store it in the refrigerator, till we want to use it.

To prepare rose milk :
* Take a clean glass, add the ice cubes. Add the syrup according to our taste. If we want, a strong drink, add more syrup. If you want, more sweeter, then add sugar now.
* Now add boiled and chilled milk to the glass. Stir the rose milk well to get a perfect rose milk.
                                                   Serve the rose milk, chilled.



Notes:
* We can prepare the rose syrup well ahead of time and refrigerate it .
* Adjust the sugar according to our taste.
* Always use boiled and chilled milk to prepare a perfect rose milk.
* We can store the rose syrup for atleast 2 weeks in refrigerator.



Linking this to "Friendship Five " series started by "Geetha Achal" and "Savitha Ramesh"

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Peanut Candy balls- கடலை உருண்டை - Friendship 5 series - Step by step

         Next in "Childhood Memory "series, we have "Kadalai urundai" or peanut candy balls. This is a tricky sweet, if we miss the consistancy of the jaggery syrup, then we cannot shape them into balls.Still remember the days, when my mom's friend make these sweets and give us.It would taste great . So humble sweet to munch on.We can also grease a palte with ghee and spread the peanut mixture. When it is still warm, we can cut the chikkis into squares. Also we can , crush the peanuts and make chikkis. We can alternatively use sugar instead of jaggery to make chikkis.The ways are numerous for us to make chikkis using peanuts.
Preparation time : 1o minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Yield : 10 (small)

Ingredients:
1.Roasted peanuts - 1 cup
2.Scraped jaggery - 1/2 cup
3.Cardamom pwdr - a pinch

Method:
* Roast the peanuts well. Medium sized peanuts works well for the peanut balls. Since I had jumbo peanuts, I have used it. If you want your peanut balls to be too sweet, add 1/4 cup more jaggery.

* Take jaggery  in a pan. Cover it with water. Don't add too much water, then syrup will take more time to cook. Let the syrup come to boil. Strain the jaggery syrup using a filter. Transfer the filtered syrup to the pan. Turn the flame to medium low. Now check for the conistancy often. Stop the flame , when the syrup reaches hard ball consistancy.

* If you are using a candy thermometer, then the reading should be,260 degree Farenhiet or 126 degree celcius. We can also check the consistancy, by dropping the syrup on a plate of water. We should be able to take the syrup out like a hard ball, as shown in picture.

* Now turn the flame to medium, add the roasted peanuts to the pan. Mix it well. Add the powdered cardamom to the pan.


* The peanuts should stick together . This will be helpfull for us to shape them into balls.When the mixture is still warm, grease your hands with ghee or water. Take small amount of mixture in hand and shape it into a ball. Do it quickly, to prevent the peanut mixture from drying out. Let the peanut balls cool for some time. Then store it in air tight container.

Notes:
* The jaggery syrup has to be of right consistancy, if not the peanuts cannot be shaped into balls.
* If the peanut mixture becomes cold, we can re heat in the stove and then shape it.
* Always strain the jaggery syrup to remove impurities.
* We can also toss the peanut balls to a plate with rice flour. This will make the balls to dry quickly, without sticking to the plate.
* We can store the peanut balls in air tight container for upto 10 days.
* The colour of the balls will depend on the colour of the jaggery used.



Linking this to "Friendship Five " series started by "Geetha Achal" and "Savitha Ramesh"

Monday, July 7, 2014

Home made Panneer Soda - பன்னீர் சோடா - From sratch - Step by step - Friendship 5 series

           This month , we are going to post recipes under the "Childhood Memory " theme.We have "Panneer soda" or a rose flavoured aerated drink for today. This is my favourite drink , since I was studying in my elementary. When we were living in "Gudiyatham" , a small town in "Vellore district",there was  a small petty shop, near our house. There will be a "thatha", who used to sell these panneer sodas in a small wooden basket, filled with water.Yes it was a very small shop,doens't even has a refrigerator. I am talking about the days of 1991.The soda would cost me 50 paise. That particular shop, gave a initiative to my panneer soda love. The flavour and the punch were the two main reason to hook to it. The panneer soda will be in these kind of bottles. The opening sound of the bottle itself will give a kick for me to drink it. Even now, when I go to India for vacation, panneer soda, karumbu juice,then mittai , will be in my list. Will happily munch on these things, forgetting about the calories.
Image courtesy : Google

       Coming to the home made version, the panneer syrup can be made at home and refrigerated for future use. We can just add some ice cubes and pour the club soda to prepare this addictive drink.This is very simple to make too.We can prepare the panneer soda, within minutes, if we have the syrup handy.

Ingredients:
For the panneer syrup :
1.Sugar - 1/2 cup
2.Water - 1/4 cup
3.Rose essence - 1 tsp or as required

For making paneer soda:
1.Panneer syrup - 2 tbsp or as needed
2.Club soda - 1/2 cup
3.Ice cubes - few

Method:
* Take sugar in a cup with water. Mix it thoroughly. Cook on medium flame , till it reaches 1 string consistancy. That is when we drop the syrup, it should stay in the plate like a pearl. When we take the syrup between our thumb and index fingure, it should form a thread.This is the right consistancy.
let the syrup .


* When the syrup has cooled, add the rose syrup to it. The amount of rose syrup can be altered according to our taste.


Now our panneer syrup is ready. Transfer the syrup to a clean and bottle.Store it in the refrigerator, till we want to use it.
* When we are about to serve paneer soda, take a glass of ice cubes. Add the syrup according to our taste. 
*Pour the club soda to the glass. Taste the panneer soda, if it is less sweet, then add more panneer syrup to the glass.Serve it ,before the gas escapes from glass.
                                         
                             Tasty and flavourfull panneer soda is ready for your guests !!!
Notes:
* We can prepare the syrup ahead of time and refrigerate it.
* The amount of rose syrup used, depends on how strong we want the flavour.
* Prepare the panneer soda, when we serve it for the guests. Because, if the gas escapes from the glass, then the drink will not taste good.
Linking this to "Friendship Five " series started by "Geetha Achal" and "Savitha Ramesh"

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