Recipes

Recipes Tested and Tried from my Kitchen.The recipes will include appetizers, sweets, main dish, side dish,vegan recipes all around the world.

Chocolate Burfi | Chocolate Burfi with Condensed Milk | Indian Chocolate Fudge

February 23, 2014 By manjulabharathkumar@gmail.com

I love to watch cookery shows a lot and also search for the magazines and cook books for recipes. Blogging is making me ti research more and experiment some unique recipes to share with my readers . Its so overwhelming when all of you like whatever I post , Thanks to you all. Coming to today’s post I had noted is recipe from a TV show and tweeked the recipe a bit. Burfi’s are always said to be a very traditional and authentic sweet which we always make for some auspicious festival or occasion . There are my varieties which relish from the sweet stores and also in our marriage parties but making at home makes it more interesting and test our patience ;). I am a chocoholic and always love to make dishes with chocolates and when I saw this Indian burfi given the chocolate flavor I was all ready with my pen and paper to note them down . I make chocolate fudge which is simpler to this burfi but with some Indian touches to it makes it more traditional .

This month preeti chose this delicious traditional sweet for the first day and I was so excited to try them . As you all know I have joined this group “Sweet fantasy club” whose brain child is preeti ,a wonderful blogger author of “ Simply tadka“. Thanks preeti for suggesting two wonderful recipes this month too.. So for Chocolate burfi I opted for a melt in mouth kind Fudgy burfi which was a yummy delight for as after lunch. We enjoyed the Fudgy and chocolaty burfi wish I could pass these burfi’s to all my readers and see them enjoy as well.. Anyway for now have a virtual look on these delightful treats 🙂

Recipe Source : food food tv show

Ingredients

14 oz tin Condensed Milk
1 cup Non Fat Milk Powder ( You use the regular milk pd too )
3 tbsp Ghee + extra to grease the pan
Few drops Vanilla extract
3/4 cup Chocolate chips
For garnish Almond flakes

Method

In a microwave safe bowl melt the chocolates for 30 sec first the remove them, Mix and you see chocolate chunks microwave them for another 30 sec till they are melted and smooth.
In a kadai heat ghee after it melts add condensed milk , Milk pd ghee, melted chocolate and mix them well .
Simmer the flame and mix them till well combined.
They will start leaving the sides pan at one stage when they are ready to transfer on a greased tray.
Prepare a greased tray probably a square shaped , ahead and transfer the burfi mixture on it.
Grease the back of a spoon and level the burfi well on the pan.
Top them with almond flakes and press them a little so that the flakes are nicely into the burfi.

Tips

If you want to make them to peda shape you can shape them to disc and refrigerate them.
Add any Nuts of you like.
You can add 5 tbsp of cocoa pd instead of Chocolate chips.

Linking to Lets Brunch sunday brain child of Priya Suresh and veena krishnakumar and CC Challenge of the month Hosted by srivalli.

Broccoli Tomato Rasam | South Indian Broccoli Soup

February 22, 2014 By

Winter calls for lots of soup to be served before the meal and most loved dish to comfort you in a chilly weather . Soups are always loved in our home and mainly the south indian rasam is always loved with some potato stir fry. It may be a cold or cough rasam is the only food which soothes our body and makes us feel better for recovery. Rasam is an south indian fav soup normally made tomatoes and tamarind to make it tangy and there are N varieties of rasam made . My mom used to make rasam very well , but as a kid we didn’t enjoy them a lot. My mom had to make our fav side dish so that we ( me & bro) will finish the rasam rice in no time , so she used make either potato stir fry or chenai kizhangu/ suran stir fry these were are most fav stir fries.

Now as days went and we grew up we started liking rasam a lot and we drink them as a soup . My daughter is a fan of rasam rice and she lovely spicy food a lot . To make the traditional rasam rice even more interesting I added Broccoli to it and they taste very delicious. My H loved the addition of veggie to rasam and he enjoyed them. Here to the normal tomato rasam I have added broccoli and they tasted yumm . Now over to the recipe

Ingredients

Broccoli florets – 1 cup or from a medium Broccoli crown remove the florets
Tomato – 2 No ( Medium size)
Tamarind extract – 1/4 cup ( from a lemon sized tamarind soaked in warm water)
Whole red chilli – 2 No
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves – 1/4 cup ( Chopped)
Garlic – 2-3 pod ( Minced)
Pepper pd – 1/2 tsp
Rasam pd – 1 tbsp
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
Olive oil / ghee – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

Blanch the whole tomatoes in enough water till they are immersed .
Remove the skin and mash the tomatoes with hands ( It tastes good if you mash them using hands).
Add turmeric pd, cumin pd, rasam pd , salt, tamarind extract, pepper pd to the tomato water.
In a sauce pan heat oil/ ghee add mustard seeds, cumin seeds after they pop add curry leaves, Whole red chilli and saute .
Now add minced garlic and saute till it leaves out an aroma.
Add broccoli florets and saute them till they are done . Don’t over cook them just half cook them so that it will taste good.
Add the Tomato water mixter and simmer the flame.
After they boil switch off the flame . Rasam will taste good if you allow them to cook only till the first boil and switching the flame off.
Garnish with chopped coriander Leaves.
Serve them hot with steamed rice and any vegetable fry like Urulai kizhangu vadhakal/ Potato Stir fry.

Tips

You can even blanch the broccoli and add to the rasam.
You can also add mashed toor dal to the rasam and make paruppu broccoli rasam

Cantaloupe Cupcake with Cantaloupe Cream cheese frosting |Muskmelon Cupcakes

February 17, 2014 By manjulabharathkumar@gmail.com

Cantaloupe is one my fav fruit , We generally cut them in cubes , add sugar and used to enjoy them. This is one fruits which we enjoy them raw and they are so delicious by itself. I love to experiment fruits in baking cakes and so I try to make use of fruit puree to make a vegan cake I have posted Pear puree cake already so this time I am up with another cantaloupe puree cake. I had tried this cake once and they turned out very delicious so this time thought to try them again to share with you all.

This cantaloupe cupcake is an vegan way to enjoy a soft and moist dessert. Cantaloupe gives a very delicious taste and we enjoyed them a lot . I used cream cheese frosting with cantaloupe puree infused in it so makes it more yummy. Over to the recipe..

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cup Maida / All pupose flour
2 cups cantaloupe puree ( you can reduce if needed)
1 tsp Baking pd
1/2 Baking soda
1 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Oil
1 tsp Apple cider
Few Drops Vanilla extract

For garnish

Sprinklers
Tutti Frutti

Method

Sift flour , baking pd and baking soda in a bowl.
In a separate bowl add the wet ingredients together – Cantaloupe puree,sugar,vanilla extract and oil
Mix them well.At the same time preheat the oven at 350 F
Now slowly fold the wet ingredients in to the dry flour mixture without any lumps.
At the end add apple Cider and fold in the batter.
Line the cupcake tin with cupcake liner and spoon the batter in the liner.
Fill 3/4th of the cupcake liner with batter.

Bake them in oven at 350 F for 15 to 20 mins till a tooth prick inserted comes out clean.
Cool them on a wire rack and decorate them with frosting.

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese , Softened
1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup Cantaloupe puree
3-4 cups sugar

Method

Whip butter and cream cheese using a hand mixer.
Mix the cantaloupe puree and beat them well till combined.
Add sugar and whip them till you get a fluffy and creamy frosting.

Freeze them if you think the frosting is a bit flowy in consistency .
Put them in piping bag and pipe them on cupcakes, enjoy !!

Linking this to Love to bake hosted By Spicy treats

Dal Bhat ( Lentils and rice) | Nepalese Style

February 5, 2014 By

For this month I chose National dishes as theme for BM while browsing to the countries national dish I found this very simple comforting dal was my first pick from the list. This super simple and very easy to make dal bhat which nepali’s national dish is so quick to make with very less ingredients and are served With plain white rice. This is my routine dal I make for My kiddo though I didn’t know that it prevails from nepal and this one is said to their national dish. This dal is similar to our Khatti dal / kootu we make but this is also made with brown lentils in some parts of nepal. Recipe for dal bhat varies according to season/ Region and family.

Dal bhat is nothing but dal or lentils stew with white rice . This dal bhat is generally accompanied with vegetable sabzi / Tarkari and a little pickle . As I had yellow lentil available at my home readily I choose to make it with yellow lentil / Pigeon peas But any kind of lentil can be used red /Brown. Now let move to this hearty traditional nepali dal bhat .Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#37

Ingredients

1 cup yellow ( Toor dal) or brown lentils
1 medium Onion ( Chopped)
2 No Red dried chilis
1 small Tomato ( Chopped)
1/2 tsp Turmeric pd
1 clove Garlic ( Minced)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
4-5 Cups Water
2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves ( Chopped)
salt to taste

Method

Wash and drain the lentils . Keep it a side.
In a pressure cooker heat oil add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Garlic and red chillies .
After they splutter add onion and saute them till translucent.
Add chopped tomato and cook them till mushy.
Add the lentils,water, turmeric pd and salt.
Close the lid and cook them for 3-4 whistles.
After the pressure subsides open the lid and stir the dal once .
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve them with steamed rice.

Thirunelveli Halwa – Virtual party for Nalini

February 2, 2014 By

I love to celebrate my dear friends b’days , when it comes to virtual world though the treat we make for our friend can’t taste our delights specially made for them , it is the love we show and It gives us so much of happiness that we able to treat them virtually . Today is another special day – Birthday of another special friend whom i met in this virtual world an year back , she is an wonderful person with lots knowledge treasured , A fantastic photographer, energetic blogger and her blog is filled with lots of traditional south indian recipes which brings out the authenticity of our Indian food.

I hope you might have got it , yes its Nalini suresh of Nalini’s Kitchen. We met in face book and just had our casual talks but today we are so close and like to share our deeds and daily routines . She is such an down to earth person and always loves to share and help us . Am feeling so happy to celebrate her birthday and I got some surprise treats for her 🙂 .. We friends decided to surprise her by cooking some tamil nadu spl recipes from her blog as its Nalini’s forte and she is an expert in cooking traditional recipe .So I thought to make some recipe , I thought of making collection of recipes to a thali but didn’t get proper time for it so did wat ever I could .. So for our lunch menu I had planned to make kozhambu , rasam, sambhar rice , poriyal and a sweet . Rasam might be missing bcoz I made it later . So this is my Treat from Nalini’s space – Pottukadali sambhar, Murungakkai thakkali kozhambu , Sepankilangu Fry, Thirunelveli halwa. Hope you will like it nalini , Wishing you a many more happy returns , enjoy !!!

Thirunelveli halwa is my all time fav , as a kid i used to love the jelly like transparent halwa which my friends used to share with me at school . Thirunelveli halwa is a famous halwa from thirunelveli, tamil nadu . The one shop which sells this famous halwa with perfect texture and taste is Iruttu kadai . This halwa is generally made with wheat berries with is soaked over night and the next day the milk from it is extracted . The extracted milk is then cooked in sugar syrup and ghee till they are transparent and leaves the sides of the pan. This halwa when you make in large quantity needs a lot of muscle to stir them continuously but here as we made in small quantity it is a bit less hard work needed. This glossy looking halwa just melts in our mouth bursting all the delicious sweet taste and this one is very healthy for growing kids . Adults might watch out for the calories but you can enjoy them some days .we taotally enjoyed all the yummy recipes I made from nalini’s collection and My fav was thirunelvelli halwa and Murungakai thakali kozhambu 🙂 I will post the rest of the recipes soon 🙂 Thanks to nalini for sharing such delicious recipe and Hope you like this yummy treat Nalini 🙂

Recipe Source : Nalini’s Kitchen

Ingredients

Broken Wheat/ Gothumai Rava -1 cup
Sugar-21/4 cups
Ghee – 11/4 cup
Cashews -2-3 tbs(broken)
Cardamom powder- 1/4 tsp
Water-11/2 cups
Red color – few drops ( Optional)

Method

Soak the broken wheat in water for 6 hours or over night.
In a blender grind broken wheat with enough water to a fine paste to extract the wheat milk.
Strain the milk and grind the leftover broken wheat one with some more water strain it again.
Discard the scum if any .
Keep the wheat milk on the counter top without disturbing for an hour.
Discard the clear liquid formed on the top.
Add 11/2 cups of water to the thick wheat milk and stir them well .
In a pan put 2 cups of sugar 1/2 cup of water and allow it to boil it reaches single string consistency.

When the sugar is boiling in one side meanwhile add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a separate pan with 2 tbsp of ghee and heat it.
Stir it and caramelize the sugar and keep it aside.Now add the wheat milk to the sugar syrup and mix it well.
The milk will thicken and becomes transparent, add the caramelized sugar to the mixture and few drops of red color ( optional ).
Add ghee in regular intervals and stir the halwa continuously.
Add ghee till it reaches the consistency where it leaves the sides of the pan.
Roast the cashews in ghee till it turn slight brown.

Add the fried cashews and cardamom powder the halwa and mix it well. Enjoy them warm.

Surul Poli

January 29, 2014 By

Surul poli is one of the traditional sweet prepared in for many tamil festival they are said to be originated in Tanjore this poli can also be called as Suruttai poli . Surul means roll unlike other poli varities this poli in also stuffed with a filling made with coconut , roasted gram and sugar But the method is completely different . As you might know normally we stuff the poli stuffing in the dough while rolling them but here after the poories are fried the stiffing is filled and made into rolls .This a very simple and a quick sweet prepared with very less ingredients and can be made in a jiffy. If you are badly attacked to sweet tooth and don’t want to prepare any lengthy processed sweet then is might be a option for sweet lovers.

As you all know there is an event going on +Divya Pramil space You Too Can Cook .. The event is all about two teams north and south team ..A member from north team and a member south team respectively will challenge the opposite team members with a recipe from their respective zone and opposite teams have to post the same recipe on their Blog .. this takes place every month .. The idea of this event is that we learn so many different recipes from different zones .. Hats off to divya for this great idea .. click here to partcipate

For this months SNC shama challenge north team with this very traditional dish from south . I wanted to make them as quick as possible and I made the same day she challenged but I didn’t get proper time to post it .Today am very happy to post this delicious surul poli . thanks to shama for challenging this yummy recipe to start the new year . This is our first snc challenge for this year and am so happy to complete it 🙂 So happy to be a part of this wonderful group and am learning a lot from the members .

Recipe source : Shama’s Easy2 Cook Recipes

Ingredients

Maida – 1 cup

Sugar- 1 cup ( Adjust according to your taste )

Roasted Gram/Pottukadalai -1 cup

Fresh grated coconut- 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder-1 tsp

Cashews , Almonds , Pistachios , Raisins – 1/2 cup

Dates – 1-2 No

Food colours – yellow color few drops

Cherries / Tutti frutti – for garnishing

Ghee- 2 tbsp +1 tsp

Method

Heat ghee in a pan roast cashews ,1/4 cup grated coconut , almonds and pistachios till they turn light brown Grind this along with roasted gram and sugar into fine powder.
In a bowl put maida , 2 tbsps of sugar , Yellow color , 1 tsp oil add sufficient water and knead a soft dough with water. Keep them a side for 20 mins.
Divide the dough in to equal balls and roll them to like a chapathi / poori not too thick nor too thin.
Take the ground nuts powder in abowl and add raisins ( roasted in ghee), dates . I also added some tutti frutti .
In a plate dust some of this nuts powder and keep them ready.
Heat oil in a sauce pan for deep frying . when the oil is hot enough slide the rolled poori into the hot oil.
With help of a ladle press it in the center gently along the edges they will puff a bit,flip them and cook them both the sides without making them crispy.
Once the poori are done remove them from oil place it on the nuts dusted plate top them with the ground nuts stuffing roll them immediately when they are still hot so that the edges will stick well.
Garnish them with colored ghee roasted coconut scraps , tutti frutti and cherries.

Tips

If you have extra filling you can make ladoos out of it or store them in airtight container to use them next day.

Tomato Idli upma

January 29, 2014 By

I love to use leftovers and experiment a new recipe with them instead of heating them and having the same. I know this is a simple and most favorite breakfast or tiffin to have when you have leftover steamed idli. This is almost made in every home in south India and this is one of my fav too. Idli upma is my all time fav breakfast bcoz it takes very very less time to make and a delicious breakfast choice . This idli upma tastes very delicious without any veggies added to it but if you wish you can add any veggie you like to this upma . This is my take of using tomato for this delicious upma . The tanginess of tomato gives it an unique taste and they taste very delicious.

For this Months SYS -event I again got rice and tomato as ingredients this month last time I made Tomato Bisi bele bhath and for this month when I was thinking on what to make with tomato and rice again then I thought y not make this simple and yummy recipe as Idli is nothing but a rice cake , I thought of making this comforting dish. Linking it to Virunthu unna vaanga.

Ingredients

Left over idli’s – 4 No
Red chilli pd – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric pd – 1/4 tsp
Tomato – 1 small
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp ( chopped)
Oil – 1 Tbsp ( I use Olive oil )
Salt to taste

Method

Crumble the leftover idli using your fingers.
In a sauce pan heat oil ,add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Allow them to splutter, then add curry leaves and urad dal.
Saute it dal turns light brown . Then add tomatoes and saute them till mushy.
Now add the red chilli pd , turmeric pd , salt , crumbled idli and mix them well.
Mix them till well combined and garnish them with coriander leaves.
Serve them warm !!

Tips

Add some grated carrots or any veggie you like to this upma to make it more healthy.

50 % Wheat Flour Bread

January 28, 2014 By

Its cold here and I so wanted to bake some bread but was in thought bcoz of the cold weather here It was tough for me . So the day when the baking bug bit me and so i started and making my home warmer thought of baking the bread which was challenged by Rachana of Second Helping which was a perfectly made spongy bread. They where too good I will be to making them again and again 🙂 Thank you so much rachana for sharing wonderful bread recipe.

As the name specifies its made with 50 % whole wheat and rest is maida/ ALP flour . This bread is a perfect daily bread which just is so so soft and fantastic to make sandwiches , or just to toast them spread some butter and enjoy. They are so very soft like pillow which will make you try them again and again . I have made lot breads and this is one of my from all . Linking this here – Spicy Treats is hosting a new event named ” Love 2 bake” ..Now quickly we will move on to the recipe..

Recipe source – Second Helping

Ingredients

Maida/ All purpose flour – 1 cup
Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
Yeast – 14 g / 4 1/2 tsp
Sugar – 2tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Margarine – 2 tsp
Butter – 1-2 tbsp
Milk
Water – 1 cup

Method

Sieve wheat flour and maida in a bowl add salt and mix them well .
Heat water in a microwave for 40 sec , add sugar and sprinkle yeast on it.
Keep them a side for 10 – 15 mins till the yeast gets activated and you see some foamy bubbles in them.
Now add this yeast water to the flour and make a soft and elastic dough.
At first it might be a little sticky but after kneading for a while it should be a very soft dough.
Lightly flour the work surface drop the dough and knead them well by stretching and pulling the dough well .
Throw them and knead the on the work surface for 10 – 15 mins . Roll the dough .
In a greased bowl transfer the dough and greased the a bit on the surface . Cover with a cloth and rest them for 20- 30 min till they double in size ( This depends on the weather how warm it is ).
Once the dough doubles in size punch them and knead them once . Then roll the dough using rolling pin and fold the side from both corners.
Pinch the folded seam part and shape them in loaf form and transfer them to a greased loaf pan the seam side ,Brush a little milk and and keep the covered in warm place for second proving .
It might take 30 – 45 mins .
Pre heat the oven at 220 F .
Once the dough doubles in size brush some milk on the surface and bake them for 30 – 40 mins till you see a Golden brown crust.
Brush a little butter after they are done and transfer the dough on a wire rack to cool .
Cool them for 2-3 hours before slicing to get clean cut.
Enjoy this super spongy and soft bread with some fruit jam spread or toasted or for sandwich.

Sending to Jagruti’s Potluck party

Chettinadu Vellai Paniyaram And Milagai Chutney

January 28, 2014 By

Paniyarams are my all time favorite and I just love them with spicy chutney . Vellai paniyaram is the one am trying for the first time and I love it a lot . These are famous chettinadu spl paniyaram which are white in color and are disc shape which is different from what we do in kuzhi paniyaram pan . Vellai in tamil means white and so the paniyaram remain white even after deep frying.

For my 3 rd day of Bm under combo dishes I chose an very delicious and yummy paniyaram which srivalli suggested in the list . I have heard about this paniyaram a lot and have seen in some cookery shows too. Everything depends on the consistency of the batter if the batter is not smooth and urad dal ratio is high then it may not turn good. This paniyaram’s only tastes yummy when they are paired with the spicy milagai chutney else they are bland in taste. Any recipe when paired perfectly would sure be an excellent dish isn’t it so this paniyaram too needs the perfect pair which is milagai chutney to make them an delicious dish. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 36. Now over to the recipe..

Vellai Paniyaram

Ingredients

Raw Rice – 1 cup
Urad dal – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method

Wash and Soak rice and urad dal together for 3-4 hours.
Grind them with a little water at a time to a very smooth batter in a mixie or grinder.
Add sufficient water to get the dosa batter consistency. Also add salt to taste.
Heat Oil in a kadai, when it is hot simmer the flame and drop a ladle full of batter in it.
It will puff a bit , turn it and cook both the sides.
No need to fry them for long as it needs to remain white.
Using a skewer remove them from oil and transfer them on a kitchen towel.
Repeat this with rest of the batter.
Serve the warm with milgai chutney.

Milagai Chutney

Ingredients

Onion – 1 No ( chopped)
Tomato – 1 no ( chopped)
Dry Red chilli – 2 no
Garlic – 1 clove
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli pd – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Asafoetida – a pinch
Salt to taste

Method

In a blender grind onion, tomato and garlic in to a coarse paste .
In a pan heat oil add mustard seeds, cumin seeds .
After they splutter add urad dal and saute them till light brown.
Add curry leaves , then add the ground mixture .
Let the boil for a while then add red chilli pd , salt and cook them till raw smell goes off.
Serve them with paniyaram , idli or dosa .

Linking this to Tamizhar samayal Tuesday whose brain child is +nalini suresh .

Tri Color Idli | Republic day spl

January 27, 2014 By

I remember How we enjoyed waiting for republic day to get some candies and refreshment been circulated in our schools and a Holiday to enjoy with friends . Its was so much fun to celebrate republic day and independence day with friends singing some patriotic songs and enjoying the holiday watching some patriotic movies and shows been aired in TV. I always Love to salute our flag , Today even though an aboard I want to celebrate this happy occasion of republic day without going to the history of republic day I would start talking about today’s special tiffin for republic day .

I made Tri color idli and tri color chutney to depict our Indian flag N my H was so happy to see them 🙂 Wish you all a very happy republic day 🙂 Here is the tri color idli recipe I will be sharing tri color chutney in separate post 🙂

Ingredients

Idli Batter – 3 cups
Coriander leaves – 1 bunch
Green chillis – 1 No
Carrots -2 No ( chopped)
Salt to taste

Method

Orange idli

In a blender put carrots and a little water to make it to asmooth paste .
Then add salt and 1 cup of idli batter and pulse the till well combined.
Your orange batter is ready to steam .

Green Idli

In a blender add coriander and green chillies and blend them with out adding any water.
Add 1 cup of idli batter , salt to taste and pulse them till paste is well combined in the batter.
Your green Batter is ready to steam .

To steam