Happy Ganesha Chathurthi / Ganesh Chavithi / Vinayaka Chathurthi - Festival

Wishing you all my dear friends, family and my dearest bloggers a very Happy Ganesha Chathurthi / Chavithi.

Lord Ganesha, who is the supreme God is well known for wisdom, prosperity, good fortune and he is being worshipped first before starting any new venture. Ganesha Chaturthi / Chavithi is a Hindu festival which is celebrated all over India on the occasion of Lord Ganesha's Birthday. This festival generally falls between August and September.  In some parts of India, this festival is celebrated for 10 days and a grand immersion festival is being celebrated on the last day of Ganesh festival.

 

Hope you all would have celebrated Ganesha Chathurthi / Chavithi in a grand manner in your homes with wonderful decorations and yummy prasadams. We also celebrated the festival with lots of happiness, devotion, elaborate pooja and yummy prasadams. Out of all the festivals, I love this festival so much mainly due to the tasty modhagam / Kozhakattais. Since childhood, I have been a big fan of this Kozhakkatai and Ganesha is my favorite God. My mom used to make different varieties of Modhagams on that day and my father used to decorate Lord Ganesha and pooja place and perform the pooja elaborately.

 

In our household, we prepare 5 or 7 varieties of prasadams and offer to Lord Ganesha. This time I prepared three types of Kozhakkattai, Palaarthi, Pappu arathi, undrallu, Chickpeas sundal. I always try to include both andhra and tamilian style prasadams in every festival to balance both my side and my husband's. 

 

I will post the recipes of the prasadams in my following posts.

 

My Husband made a home made ganesha using turmeric powder, sandal powder and rice flour. Its really difficult for us to take out the Ganesha as we love this cute little ganesha so much..

 

Powerful Ganesha Mantra

"Gajananam Bhoota Ganadi Sevitam,
Kapittha Jambu phalasara bhakshitam
Umasutam Shoka Vinasha karanam
Namami Vighneswara pada pankajam"

 

Meaning

"Oh Elephant-faced, worshiped by the existing beings, of all living beings, tasting the elephant apple (kaith) and jambolana (jamun), the Son of Uma, destroyer of grief, I bow to the lotus feet".

 

Will post the recipes of Sweet / Salt Kozhakkatai, Undrallu, Pal arathi, Pappu Arathi, Chickpeas sundal in my following posts very soon.

Baingan Bharta / Baingan Barta / Low fat , Healthy Style Baingan Bharta

I have tasted different versions of Baingan Bharta so far but this one is unique and special. My Mother-in-law has been making this type of Baingan Bharta since ages and she learnt this version during her calcutta days. My husband is a core fan of this version and he loves to eat this dish with hot rotis. Recently, I made this Baingan dish using our home grown Eggplant and it turned out very well. To my surprise, my daughter loved this spicy baingan dish and requested me to make this often. Though I am not a big fan of this version, due to its simplicity and less oil  I love to enjoy this dish occasionally.

Ingredients

Eggplant - 1 Big or 2 Medium

Red Onion - 1 Medium ( I strongly prefer red onion )

Lime - 1/2

Green Chillies - 2 Big or 3

Salt - To Taste

Coriander Leaves - To Garnish

For the Tadka / Tempering :

Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Hing  Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp

Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu - 1 tsp

Channa Dal / Kadalai Paruppu - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chillies - 2 Medium

Curry Leaves - 2 or 3

Method

1. Shred the onion and green chillies into small pieces and keep them ready. Squeeze the lime juice and keep it ready. Wash and crush the coriander leaves into pieces and keep them ready.
2. Wash the eggplant ( Brinjal ) and wipe it off with the tissue. Poke 2 or 3 holes into the eggplant and roast the eggplant directly onto the flame using a suitable spatula. Rotate the eggplant in all directions till it turns black. The eggplant should shrink in all directions, get cooked inside completely and the skin of the eggplant should turn dark and lightly dry. This denotes the completion point and we could peel off the skin.
3. If its roasted fully, then it would be very easier to peel off the skin. After peeling the skin, mash the cooked Eggplant thoroughly either using hands or masher in a big mixing bowl.
4. Add the shredded onion, green chillies, lime juice, coriander leaves, required amount of salt into the mashed eggplant.
5. In a frying pan, add oil. When its heated, add all the ingredients for the tempering process one by one and pour them over the mixing bowl.
6. Mix everything well and finally garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy this oil free side dish with your hot rotis.

Tips / Variations

• Instead of directly roasting the eggplant, you can microwave the eggplant or broil the eggplant in the oven too. But I adopt this method as the directly roasting process enhances the taste of the Baingan Bharta.
• If the size of the Bharta is medium, its easier to roast than the big ones.

Small Onion Red Capsicum Chutney / Spicy Red Chutney

Using the small red onions and red capsicum, I tried to make a spicy chutney for my Vendhaya Dosai and the chutney was a very good accompaniment to the Dosas. I should definitely say that this chutney triggered my nerves and woke me up mentally!!!! It was a sleepy, cold morning and I started doing the chores physically with half sleep.  Try this spicy red chutney and start your morning with more briskness !!! Due to the addition of small pearl onions, the taste was amazing too..

Ingredients

For Grinding :

Small Red Onions / pearl onions - 10 to 13

Red Capsicum - 1 Medium ( cut into small pieces )

Oil - 1/2 tbsp ( Enough to fry the onions and capsicum )

Salt - To Taste

Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu - 3 tsp

Dry Red Chillies - 7 Medium

Green Chili - 1 Small

Tamarind - 1 pinch

Jeera /Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Ground nuts / Peanuts - 1 tbsp

Channa Dal / Kadalai Paruppu -  2 tsp

Jaggery - 1 small pinch or 1/2 tsp

 

For Tadka / Thalimpu :

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu - 1 tsp

 

Method

• In the frying pan, add oil first. When its heated, fry all the ingredients for grinding on medium heat except small onions and red capsicum. Do not add salt and jaggery piece at this point.
• When they turn golden brown, transfer them into the mixer grinder. In the same pan, add the peeled small onions, red capsicum pieces and fry them till they become translucent. While frying them, cover the lid and allow them to cook for 1-2 minutes and fry in the middle.
• When they are cooked and fried enough, transfer them too into the mixer grinder. After the contents are cooled, grind them nicely. Add salt and jaggery piece while grinding and transfer the chutney into the serving bowl.
• In the frying pan, add the contents for making the thalimpu and pour the contents over the chutney. Enjoy with your hot idlies, dosas or any other tiffin...

Peach Thokku

 

 

Peach is a wonderful fruit with a twist of tangy and sweet taste. We can make milk shakes, smoothies, yummy desserts using Peaches. But I did not have an idea of making thokku or pickle out of it. One of my good friend's mother visited my home last week and she made this delightful peach thokku within minutes. Thokku tastes heavenly, tastes like our mango thokku and we all liked it. Its difficult to hide this thokku at home as it's the best accompaniment for curd rice. Just 4 or 5 big peaches are enough to make a decent quantity. Try this peach thokku and enjoy..

 

Ingredients

Peach - 4 or 5 Big

Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

Salt - To Taste

Fenugreek Powder / Methi Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder - Between 3 to 4 tbsp ( Depending upon your taste )

Gingelly Oil / Nalla Yennai - 1/4 cup

Method

• Wash the peaches and grate them with the skin.
• In the cooking pan, add the Gingelly Oil first. When its heated, add the Hing, grated peach and fry them for 2-3 minutes.
• Add all the other ingredients and fry them on a medium flame for about 5-6 minutes till it thickens to the thokku consistency.
• Allow the thokku to cool completely and store the thokku in a suitable container.

Black Eye Beans Masala / Black Eye Beans in Tomato Gravy

To go with the colourful green spinach parathas, I made this spicy, tangy Black Eye Beans Masala in tomato gravy. Its a very good combo with green and dark orange food items. I should have made this combo on our Independence day with a side of white raita too. Try this out in your kitchen and enjoy...

 

Ingredients

Black Eye Beans - 2 Cups

White Potato - 1 ( Optional )

Ripe Tomato - 4 or 5 Medium

Red Onion - 1 Medium

Green Chili - 1 Medium

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp

Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp

Kasoor Methi - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp

Dhana Jeera Powder - 1 tsp ( Coriander Cumin Powder )

Sugar - 1 pinch

Salt - To Taste

Water - As required for the gravy

Oil - 1 tbsp

Butter or melted ghee - 1 tsp ( OPTIONAL )

Coriander Leaves - To Garnish

Method

• Soak the Black Eye Beans in water for an hour and pressure cook them for 4-5 whistles. Peel the potato skin and cut them into medium size squares. Cook them in a microwave and keep the potato cubes ready too. Make the tomato puree by grinding five tomatoes and the green chili using a mixer grinder. Cut the onion into small pieces and keep them ready.
• In the frying pan / kadai, add oil first. When its heated, add the cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, onion into the pan. Fry them on a medium flame till the raw smell goes off.
• Add all the powders into the pan and fry them for a minute. Pour the tomato puree into the pan and mix everything well and allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes with the lid closed.
• Add some water if you notice thickness in the tomato gravy. Adjust the gravy consistency as you wish.
• Then, add the Black Eye Beans, cooked potato squares and the Kasoor methi into the pan along with salt and a pinch of sugar. Mix the contents thoroughly in the pan and allow them to set properly in the gravy by cooking them on a medium flame for another 3-4 minutes.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with your nutritious green parathas. Add a tsp of melted butter or ghee on its top just before serving.

Tips / Variations

Don't overcook the Black Eye Beans in the pressure cooker. It should be well cooked and visible separately.

Spinach Chappathi / Spinach Paratha / Palak Paratha / Green Chappathi

 

School is getting started and my mind is thinking of various school lunch options, healthy dinners for the kids. Whole bag of spinach was sitting in the refrigerator and I decided to make some different variety out of it. Though Palak Paneer is our all time favourite, spinach paratha won my mind. With a tangy, spicy side dish, its a very good combination for dinner. I made Black eye beans masala in a tangy,spicy tomato gravy which makes the dinner more colourful.

Ingredients

 

For Grinding :

Spinach Leaves - 3 Cups

Green Chili - 1 Medium

Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

For the Dough :

Wheat Flour - 4 Cups

Sugar - 1 Pinch

Salt - To Taste

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Ajwain Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Thick Curd - 1 tbsp

Grounded Paste - Add fully.

Water - Little as required for making the paratha dough.

Oil - As required.

 

 

 

Method 

• Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly and steam cook them along with green chili and cumin seeds in the kadai / pan with the lid on. No need to add water. When it gets cooked and reduced in size, grind them in a mixer grinder smoothly with no water added. Keep the green paste ready.
• In a big mixing bowl, add all the other ingredients for making the dough and the green paste too and make a smooth paste. Knead the dough well with little oil to make it more softer. Keep it aside for few minutes.
• Heat the frying pan on medium flame. Take a small ball of the paratha dough and spread the ball into a thin round paratta.
• Fry them uniformly on the heated frying pan on both sides. Apply little ghee on its top while serving for kids.
• An excellent healthy paratha for breakfast, colourful lunch for kids and delicious dinner along with a good side dish. Can be eaten at all times and loved by all ages.

 

Tips / Variations

• While kneading the dough, care should be taken while adding water. Green paste and curd should be added first while making the dough and then water should be added slowly till you get a desired consistency.
• I prefer not to add so many powders while making the dough as I wish to retain its original flavour and make it more simpler.

 

Chocolate Kalakand / Chocolate Milk Cake - Using Ricotta Cheese

I made this special "Chocolate Kalakand" for our sweet Krishna in our house, my son. My kids were so excited to see the Chocolate version of kalakand and they enjoyed this sweet happily. Preparation of this Kalakand was exactly the same as the regular Kalakand except that I added a packet of Cocoa to the mixture before microwaving them.

 

Please see the link as below for the preparation...

 

Kalakand - Regular version