Kalkandu/Sugar Candy Pongal

     Before going to today's recipe, i would like to wish all my friends, co-bloggers, viewers and family on this auspicious "Tamilnadu Thanksgiving day  to Sun god, Farmers and Family"
                                       "இனிய பொங்கல் நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் "

     If this is Pongal festival, i would like to do a post related to this festival. Any guess ???!!! Yes, you guessed it right, obviously its a Pongal dish using "Sugar Candy or Kalkandu". Since i got a pack full of Sugar candy, i decided to empty it as soon as possible. When i was searching this i got a dish called "Kalkandu Rice". Suddenly flashed an idea and decided to make Kalkandu Pongal instead of Kalkandu rice. Now, its show time for your comments/feedback.

ALL YOU NEED:

Raw Rice	1 cup
Moong Dhall	1/4 cup
Sugar Candy/Kalkandu`	1 cup
Ghee	1/2 cup
Cashews	10 Nos.
Raisins	10 Nos.
Cardamom	2 Nos.
Salt	Pinch
Milk	1/2 cup
Water	3 cups

METHOD:
     Soak raw rice and Moong dhall for 30 mins in water. Drain it. Now take pressure cooker, add soaked raw rice and moong dhall. Pour 1/2 cup of milk, 3 cups of water, a tsp of ghee and 1 broken cardamom (u can also add 1/4 tsp of cardamom powder, instead of whole one) Cook it for 4 whistles. Meantime, heat a pan with less than quater cup of water, when it boils, add a cup of sugar candy and cardamom again, and stir it until all the sugar candy melts. Put off the flame. Make sure you do this syrup in medium flame. Once the pressure gets released, mash it well. If you see the full grains, add warm milk to bring it to pongal consistency. Now pour the sugar syrup, keep stir well by adding ghee. Once done, add ghee fried, raisins and cashews. Mix well. All done, its serving time.

Note: If you feel, melting down the sugarcandy it cumbersome process, you can powder the sugar candy and start mixing with the boiled rice mixture.

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Cashew Murukku

     Long long ago soooooooo long ago, this term "Murukku" was like a big jargon, thought this can be prepared only by experts chefs. But nowadays being a full time housewife, me started trying many variants of savories. You can checkout my thattu vadai, Omapodi, Ribbon Pakoda for samples. In that queue, recently tried this rich, tasty, easy murukku that too with simple in house ingredients and now its for your views.

ALL YOU NEED:

Rice Flour	1 cup
Red Chilly Powder	1 1/2 spoon
Garlic extract	1/2 cup
Cashewnuts	10 Nos.
Cumin Seeds	1 1/2 spoon
Hing	1/2 spoon
Salt	To Taste
Oil	1 tsp
Oil	To Deep fry

METHOD:
     Soak cashew with some water in mixer, grind it after 5 mins. Meantime, take a wide bowl, add rice flour, red chilly powder, hing, salt and cumin seeds. Mix it well. Now pour oil, garlic extract (which adds nice aroma to the murukku) and cashew mixer. Knead it nicely by adding required water. Make sure, it shouldnot sticky. Now take murukku press and grease it with oil and set it with your favorite shape plate. Heat oil for deep frying, now fill the murukku press with the kneaded dough. Press it when the oil is in perfect hot for deep frying. Keep repeat the same procedure and fry murukku in batches with medium flame. Enjoy with a cup of hot tea.

Note: To prepare garlic extract, add 5 to 6 nos. of garlic cloves, grind with little water and strain the extract.

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Semiya Kheer

    Can you think of any kheer/payasam without ghee ?! This is one among them. All time, infact till now, i was bit sceptical to try any dishes with Semiya/Vermicelli and Rava/Sooji. Yes, for sure it will end up as disaster mission. Actually this is my second try. Click here for traditional version. This version is very simple without any garnishing work. Its very easy and at the same time aroma and taste will be like yum yum ! Do try this and let me know your comments. With this note, i would like to convey this is my 3000th post..... Hurrrrrrraaaaayyyyyyy !

ALL YOU NEED:

Roasted Semiya	1 cup
Thick Milk	2 cups
Mixed Nuts	1/2 cup
Cardamom	1 No.
Sugar	To Taste

METHOD:
    Take heave bottomed pan. Heat 2 cups of milk along with sugar and cardamom. Let it boil well, until it become much thicker. Now add on all the nuts and stir well. Let it boil for 5 mins. Now add roasted semiya, put the flame in simmer. Stir it well. Since we are using thick milk, keep an eye on milk i.e. it should not get burnt. Let it be in flame, until the semiya gets cooked. Once done, adjust with salt if required and transfer to serving bowl and enjoy !

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Rava Paniyaram

     Rava Paniyaram/Kachayam, its our very own salem special snack which can be prepared in very minimal time. If there is any feast day, this will be available by default. Also, if i feel like munching any sweet snack immediately, this will be my immediate recipe. Though its very simple to make, there wont e any compromise in the taste. Yes, it will have heavenly taste. So, here comes the nativity snack for your views.

                     

                       

ALL YOU NEED:

Maida	1 cup
Rava	1/2 cup
Banana	1 No.
Sugar	To Taste
Milk	1 cup
Cardamom Powder	1/4 spoon
Grated coconut	handful
Cooking Soda	Pinch
Water	Required
Oil	To deep fry

METHOD:
     Take a wide bowl, add maida, rava, cardamom powder, cooking soda, milk and required sugar. Give hard stir. Let it sit down for 20 mins. Heat oil in a pan. Meantime give hard stir to the batter, if it is not in bonda mixture consistency add required water. Add grated coconut. Adjust with sugar if required. Once the oil gets heated, take a small ladle full of batter and put it into the oil. Fry until it gets cooked

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Ribbon Pakoda

     There was none who loves sweet recipes at home including me. At the same time, if it is savory dishes, it will get vanished within fraction of seconds. So, most of the time i used to prepare savory snacks at home. Nowadays am getting lot of time to enjoy in kitchen by preparing many new dishes. In that order, i have tried "Ribbon Pakoda" which is our all time favorite snack. Just of thought of sharing my method... Here you go....

ALL YOU NEED:

Rice Flour	1 cup
Besan Flour	1/2 cup
Urad Dhall Powder	3 tbsp
Chilli powder	2 tsp
Garlic Extract	3 tsp
Peanut Powder	3/4 tbsp
Butter	1.5 tbsp
Hing	Pinch
Salt	To Taste
Oil	Deep Fry

METHOD:
     Dry Roast and grind urad dhall. Now take some 5 garlic cloves and grind it in mixie by adding some water and filter the water and keep it aside. Now take a wide bowl, add rice flour, besan flour, urad dhall powder, coarsely grounded peanut, salt, chilly powder and hing. Mix all the dry ingredients well. Now pour the wet ingredients like butter and garlic water, mix well. If required add water until it comes to soft dough. Keep a wide kadai, add required oil for deep frying.

    Meantime take the press grease it with some butter or oil, now add the dough into the press. Once the oil gets heated, press the dough starting from the corners and to the centre. Let it cook for 2 mins and toss it to other side. Once it gets cooked, place it on a tissue paper. Now our favorite snack is ready !!

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Rava Ladoo

     I should say this is We are not sweet lovers so its very rare to see sweet post in my blog. Once in a while i use to prepare sweet at home, think today is that "Once in a while" day, that too its "Hot from the stove" post :P Yes, am posting this immediately i prepared the ladoo ! so that i'll not forget the preparation method :D Here's my method !

ALL YOU NEED:

Rava/Sooji	1 cup
Sugar	1/2 cup+2sp
Chopped Cashew	3 tbsp
Elachi	2 nos.
Ghee	1/4 cup
Milk	1/4 cup
Raisins	2 tbsp

METHOD:
     Take a wide tawa, add 2 spoon of oil, roast chopped cashew and raisin (i used dried cranberries) Once done, take off from the stove. Now add the rava, fry it until nice aroma comes.DONT BURN IT. Once done, allow it too cool. Now add sugar, mix well. Powder the rava mixture coarsely along with elachi in mixer. Now place the powdered mixer in a wide pan, add roasted nuts, raisins and ghee. If the mixture is still seperating, sprinkle required milk, mix well and make round balls by pressing tightly. Once all done, taste your yummilicious ladoo. :-)

Note: You can also substitute milk with ghee, which will help you to keep ladoo stocked for a week.

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Pumpkin halwa

     Nowadays i feel like am a long mile away from yhis blogging world. Eventhough i have quit my job, its very difficult to manage my blog with my kid. Actually she is letting me to touch my laptop, all time she is owning that :-( but still i dont want to leave my space just like that. So finally got my laptop free'd and planned to post a sweet which i prepared/tried on diwali :-)

ALL YOU NEED:

Grated pumpkin	5 cups
Elachi powder	Pinch
Food color	Pinch
Ghee	4 tbsps.
Sugar	To taste
Nuts	1/2 cup

METHOD:
     Take a wide tawa, add 2 spoons of ghee, fry the required nuts and keep aside. Now, add grated pumpkin, let it boil until it gets raw smell goes off. Add a pinch of food color and the required sugar. Keep on stiring it by adfing ghee inbetween, make sure it should not get burnt or stick to the pan. Quantity of the added pumpkin will get reduced. Though i added 5 cups, got only a small cup of halwa :-( Once you are reached halwa consistency, add the roasted nuts and put off the flame.

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Omapodi

     After i left the job, i got handful of time which am spending completely with kid and trying different recipes. Now coming to this post, still i wonder a festival snack recipe in my blog ??!! Its still a BIG exclamation :) Yes, this is my first tried omapudi recipe in my so far marriage life. But my mom is very well expertise in prepare all kinds of festival recipes, so, i have heard my mom telling, hand will be very painful when we prepare omapudi, murukku and mixture, so was in dilemma whether to take this up or not. Finally i tried and here its for your views.

ALL YOU NEED:

Besan Flour	1 cup
Rice Flour	1/4 cup
Red chilly Powder	1 spoon
Hot oil	3 spoons
Ajwain	1 spoon
Salt	To Taste
Oil	To Deep fry

METHOD:
     Dry roast the ajwain until nice aroma comes. Coarsely powder it in mixer. Heat 1/4 cup of water, add ajwain powder into it, let it sit for a while. Meantime, take a wide bowl, add sieved besan flour, rice flour, 3 spoons of hot oil, required salt, red chilly powder, mix it well. Now strain the ajwain powder mixture. Pour the required amount of ajwain water into the flour mixture, mix well until it reaches the soft dough. Keep an eye, it should not be too sticky. Heat a pan for deep frying, meantime fill it into the omapudi press. Once the oil gets heated, press the dough gently and toss it both the side, until it gets cooked.

    Can you see the nice golden brown colored omapudi in the image, in general i love the little browned snack all time, which is 100% false, actually i burnt it slightly :P

Note: Since i didn't have butter at home, compromised it with additional 2 spoons of hot oil.

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Black eyed bean sundal

     That was a funny week. Oops ! Sorry ! DIET WEEK :P Planned to be in Self-ban for me and Compulsory ban for my H(!) by not having Rice items in any form Idly, Dosai, Steamed rice etc. etc. (even didnt used Rice flour) completely for 5 days. Somehow managed to run 4 days successfully but was totally blank what to prepare for our Day 5 breakfast also got bit bored of having chapathi, roti, sandwich, toast etc. which was my saviour during all 4 days. Browsed ! Browsed !! and Browsed!!! Nothing worked out :( Suddenly this dish got flashed in my mind. Was bit sceptical b'cos, am sure, my H will not like this, even me. But what to do BAN is BAN, somehow controlled my taste bud and tried it by adding some flavored ingredients and ended up my Day 5 breakfast finally with this healthy and tasty sundal. Here it is for your reviews :)

ALL YOU NEED:

Black-eyed Bean	250 gms
Chopped Onion	1 No.
Green Chilly	2 Nos.
Coriander Leaf	1 Twig
Smashed Ginger	1/2 inch
Smashed Garlic	4 Nos.
Curry Leaf	1 Twig
Urad Dhall	1 spoon
Mustard	1 spoon
Salt	To Taste
Oil	1 drop

METHOD:
     Soak black-eyed bean overnight. Pressure cooker it for 4 whistles by adding pinch of salt. Once done, drain the excess water. Heat a spoon drop of oil (DIET here :P) in a pan. Add mustard, once splutters, add on Urad dhall, once it turns into color, add chopped onion, chopped green chilly, curry leaf, corainder leaf, smashed ginger, smashed garlic and picnh of salt.. Once raw smell goes off, add the pressure cooked bean, adjust with salt and do fine sauting until it coats with the garnished items. Thats it !

Note: Can also add grated coconut before you put off the flame which gives rich flavor and taste.

❝❡angeetha ηambi❞

Kollukattai

     Being a lazy girl, always i'll be very sceptical to take up sweet for preparation. I got 2 reasons behind that 1. We are not sweet loving family. 2. I need lot of patience to prepare the sweets. That too Kozhukattai, OMG!!!!! to be frank, this was the first time i prepared in my life time, that too because of Vinayagar Chathurthi fest. Usually if this occassion comes, will immediately run to my mom or in-laws place just to get free'd from this preparation but this time Vinayagar loved to taste my Kozhukattai and Sundal it seems :( due to some reason, we celebrated in our home :( So, i(Myself !!!) prepared this Kozhukatti and Sundal for Pooja. Finally, everything came out well and my lil one enjoyed thorougly and even the vinayagar too.... :P

P.S: My cam had some problem then. so here am sharing my procedure and the clicks with very bad clarity :(

ALL YOU NEED:

Rice Flour	1 cup
Salt	Pinch
Water	Required

For Stuffing:

Raosted Groundnut	1/2 cup
Powdered Jaggery	1/3 cup

METHOD:
     Do a whipper in mixie with unskined roasted groundnut and jaggery powder. Keep it aside. Take a wide bowl, add Rice flour, pinch of salt and make it as a dough without any lumps and it SHOULD NOT watery. Make even sized balls out of it. Take a polytene cover, grease it with oil, take a dough ball and flatten it using your finger until it comes thin. Now add a spoon of powdered groundnut + Jaggery mixture and close the both ends. Repeat the process. Now place all the kozhukattai in an idly plates and steam it for 10 minutes. Once done, allow it to cool down and Enjoy with Sundal !!!

Note: You can substitute groundnut with white/black roasted sessame seeds too.

    Sending to the event CWS-Peanuts hosted by Priya.

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Rice Kheer

     Always i'll be waiting eagerly for Onam, Vishu etc etc (all Keralite festival) fest to come. Dont think am a malayali. The silly and useless reason was i'll get bowl full of rice kheer from my neighbour keralites. He he :P How silly i am. From this you can understand my crazinees on this Rice Kheer. Its my long time plan to prepare rice kheer at home. Since my family doesnt like sweet much, i was bit dragging my preparation plan. Finally, thought of preparing this at last saturday, thought my hubby will not like this but he had 2 glass full of kheer. That was a real surprise and also enjoyed lot by tasting that self-prepared kheer :)

ALL YOU NEED:

Par-boiled Rice	1/2 cup
Grated Coconut	1/4 cup
Sugar	1 cup
Elachi	2 Nos.
Milk	1 litre

To Garnish

Ghee	3 spoons
Cashew	8 Nos.
Raisins	8 Nos.

METHOD:
     Take heavy bottomed pan, bring down 1 litre milk to boil, add sugar, powdered elachi and soaked rice and keep the milk in flame until it comes down to 1/2 litre and the rice gets cooked well. Stir inbetween by adding grated coconut. Paralley heat 3 spoons of Ghee in a pan, add cashwenuts, raisins, do a saute and put off the flame. Now lets check the milk, Once the rice gets boiled and kheer reach thick consistency, add on the garnished items and do a soft stir without breaking the rice shape. Allow it to cool for a while, now serve to the loved ones :)

    Sending this to Akila's Event - Dish name starts with R

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Thattu Vadai

     My lil one will go crazy for all deep fried/Oil items. Whenever you come to my home, you can find all types of junk foods stocked on our table. Sometimes, even i feel not to buy any junks as its not healthy and bit worried, what type of oil they have used to prepare it etc.. etc... So, decided to prepare some tea time muncher at home. Was just waiting for that auspicious(!) day to come. Finally, got a very long leave of 4 days, so i planned to give my first try. thanks god it came out well and also it was cleaned off by next day itself :P

ALL YOU NEED:

Rice Flour	2 cups
Urad Dhall Flour	2 spoons
Fried gram flour	2 spoons
Groundnut	1/2 cup
Bengal Gram	1/4 cup
Red Chilly	8 Nos.
Garlic	3 Bulbs
Butter	2 spoon
Salt	To Taste
Water	Needed
Oil	Deep Fry

METHOD:
     Soak Bengal gram for 2 hours and drain the water. Grind Garlic and Red chilly without adding water. Let both sit for a while. Seive all flour (Rice flour, Roasted Urad Dhall and FriedGram powder), add melted butter, salt, hing, grinded garlic+red chilly paste, soaked bengal gram, roasted groundnut (Skin removed), add required amount of water and mix all until it comes to a non-sticky dough. Make the dough as small balls and take a plastic cover (I used Milk Cover), grease it with a drop of oil, take a small rounded dough, flatten it using your fingers. Paralley heat oil for deep frying. Add a pinch of dough into the oil, to check oil gets heated. Now add flattended dough into the oil 1 by 1, leave it for a min and flip it, until it gets cooked perfectly.

    Sending to the event CWS-Peanuts hosted by Priya.

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Chickpea Sundal

     This is my most favorite one among all Sundal varieties. At the same time, Noone will like sundal varieties in my home. Being a lazy girl, Do you think will prepare it only for me ???!!! Noway, So, will wait for Vinayar Chathurthi festival:P . Will boil nearly a cup full of sundal only for me and Lord. Ganesha :D and will empty half of the plain boiled sundal and remaining will be prepared as Sundal. Still if i have any left overs, will store it in fridge and make it as Channa for my chapathi the next day :P See, how am craving for this chick pea. Poor girl am :( Here comes the my favorite sundal recipe........

ALL YOU NEED:

Chick Pea	1 cup
Chopped Onion	2 Nos.
Coriander Leaf	2 Twigs
Grated Coconut	1/4 cup
Urad Dhall	2 spoons
Curry Leaf	1 Twig
Green chilly	2 Nos.
Red Chilly	1 No.
Ginger	1/2 Inch
Garlic	5 Nos.
Salt	To Taste
Oil	2 spoons

METHOD:
     Pressure cook overnight soaked chick pea for 5 mins and drain the excess water once pressure gets released. Heat 2 spoons of oil in a pan. Add mustard, once it gets splutters, add Red chilly and Urad dhall, do a sauting. Now add chopped onion, chopped curry leaf, corainder leaf, mashed garlic and ginger. Do a hard saute by adding a pinch of salt. Now add on boiled chick pea, saute it. Before switching off the flame, add grated coconut and adjust with salt. Give a sauting for 5 mins and switch off.

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬

Feast to ur eyes !!!

    Each year will celebrate our Pongal Fest in my hubby's hometown and they follow some traditional way by decoring the entrance with color kolam, mango leaf, Garlands and so on. Also, they prepare pongal in our very own traditional way using earthern pot in firewood. Are you thinking, why suddenly telling Home town stories ??!! or thinking am going to post a Sweet Pongal recipe ??!! My answer is NO. Just to have a change, instead of sharing usual feast to ur tongue by posting a recipe, am going to share a feast to ur eyes today. Yes, As i did last year, i alloted or dedicated this post for my Pongal Fest Kolam which was done by me during Main Pongal day and Mattu Pongal day. Usually we put 2 kolams on each day. So, totally am going to share my four Kolam designs. Here is the color feast for ur eyes. Click here for my last year kolams.

Main Pongal Day - Kolam :1

Main Pongal Day - Kolam :2

Mattu Pongal Day - Kolam :1

Mattu Pongal Day - Kolam :2 (Specially done for my kid)

     IS IT LIKEY ???!!!

♬ Sangeetha♡Nambi ♬