Rava idli

As ramadan has gone out normal working days have begun.  Kids school work home and of course cooking to be precise.  We had  a nice break as kitchen is closed in the mornings during the ramadan and no rush for tiffins. Two elder kids are independent enough to get things done on time . I just have to run after my kindergartner . As of this week we have a full morning circuit to catch. Packing lunch boxes is quite a stir in the mornings . No one is into curries . Aj just wants his eggs and stir fry bananas. Zameel  would go for toast and spreads . While Zehna just loves proper Indian breakfast ... just like me .so today is her favorite recipe.

How ever time flies my love for idlies and dosas never  die out. Hot spicy green chutney served with my recipe for today. I love green rava idli .. thats loads of corriander leaves chopped finely and mixed well with the better .
Its quick easy and instant . And overall very healthy.  I am so addictive to this that I have them for tea too.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rava / samolina

1 cup curd

1/2 cup rice flour

Water as required

1 chopped onion

1 grated carrot

2 chopped green chillies

1 tablespoon crushed ginger

Curry leaves few

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1 teaspoon Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 tablespoon oil

3 tablespoon Coriander leaves

Method:

Add rawa,rice flour,salt,curd and mix well.Add little water and mix to This should be of  medium consistency batter. Set this aside for 15 min.

Take a kadai and heat oil .

Add mustard seeds and let it crackle.

Add in ginger, curry leaves.

Next add  the onion,carrots, and mix well

 cook for 3 min.

Add this to the batter and mix well.Add in a bunch  of chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

Add in baking soda and beat well till frothy.

Add a tablespoon  of the batter into well oiled idli stand.
 Steam it for 10 mins…

When it is cooked,remove it with a spoon

Serve hot with any chutney or sambar.

Note
I love to serve with ghee fried cashews . Just as my pic shows 

Read More

Tharri kachyathe

I am ending this Ramadan with a heavy heart .. How time flies and alhamdullillah we have made our way to attain how much ever time we had to complete our ibadadah.
This ramadan  we planned on having a warm drink evey alternate days .I guess many of you must have be wondering what choices do i have . Well here , Malabar is famous for the luxurious warm drinks. I always like to try something new but with the same ingredients. Last Ramadan, we went only for cold and icy drinks and eventuality would fall sick , so i guess i am having silent break from the flu and the fever so far . So my first recipe for warm drinks this ramadan is samolina drink / thari kachyathe .

 It is served warm not hot . Served with roasted ghee fried nuts straight  from stove top . Anything  served with ghee  and nuts is a way to hint the time to relax  and have it right away , it is the nuts and dry fruits ,  that  floats in the milk which is very slurpy .

 Ingredients 

2 cups milk
2 tablespoon roasted samolina.
4 tablespoon sugar
2 Cardamom crushed
1 teaspoon ghee
Nuts of your choice.
A pich of salt.

Method

Boil the milk and let simmer .
Meanwhile heat a non stick pan .
Roast the samolina/rava for 2 minutes
Add to the simmering milk.
Stir well .
Roast the nuts in ghee.
Add to the milk and add the cardamom powder.
Add sugar and a pinch of salt .
Cover and serve after 10 minutes.
It will thicken by then .
Serve warm .

Read More

Prawn masala cups

Mashallah we are nearing the end of this Ramadan . Working hard to our better deen and cleansing ourself soulfully with dhikr (chantings) and zakath , tharaweeh and still we have so much more to make duas for ourselves . With the time running out it is sense of sadness ... something i cant describe . How time flies during Ramadan . Last 10 days  of Ramadan . The most blessed of all nights and we must attain as much as we can from the prayers asking for forgiveness. The mosques are filling with more crowd amd it is  during these last nights for prayers considered better than thousand nights   ( Laylatul Qadr) that we ask for all good deeds be accepted and sins forgiven ... Ameen. 

Coming to today’s recipe – anything oil free goes out well on the iftar table .this is   unusually  rare presentation of a steamed rice cups filled with prawn masala and fried rice balls.! Lots a pretty easy and lovely colorful idea of a snack to be served in iftars .and kids passed it to be cup pizza. Such crazy ideas came up and i just went by to recreate for our snacks and i wanted  something oil free . And meat free too . Feel free to change the recipe to a filling of your choice .  I used my cupcake moulds  so got a dozen done at one go.
I just love making them and enjoyed it too .and just remember to have them warm .
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients for grinding.

1/2 Coconut grind.
1 teaspoon fennel seeds,
2 small onions .
1 green chillie
Curry leaves few.

For the rice dough

1 cup rice ( jeerakashala/pathal rice ), soaked for 4 hours
Salt to taste

For the prawns masala

500 gm large  prawns , cleaned and deveined.
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large onion,
1 small tomato
1 teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies chopped
Curry leaves and coriander leaves

Method
Grind the ingredients with very little water, for the rice dough till coarse  and add 2 tbsp of rice flour and make a soft dough .
Add more flour if needed. It should be coarse.  Add in the coconut grind mix..
Heat a steamer. Grease each cup cake case with oil . And press little rice doughs onto the cups  with 1 inch thickness and cook in steam till done. Make small balls and steam cook too,
Steam for around 10 minutes or till firm to touch. Allow to cool slightly before taking out of the cups
Fry the prawns with the red chilli powder and salt till done  and keep aside .
Fry the rice balls in 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and salt. Keep aside.
Heat oil and saute the onions  for 5 minutes.
Add all the ingredients saute till mushy .
 Add in the fried   prawns and the rice balls
Mix them up till the masala is well combined.
Keep aside to cool .
Stir in the coriander leaves. Adjust seasoning and set aside.

Now fill the masala in the cups and serve .

Read More

CARROT HALWA | RAMADAN SWEETS

Asalamualikum..
As our holy month has approached upon us we are much aware of our duties and we cannot afford to forget how blessed  we are to live through this month again ... ameen .
This is a stage where i desperately wanted to be back.  How much i miss blogging . And being the month  of ramadan , a good and humble way to be back. I have been into baking and this time intense baking cakes and pastries , to be precise. Starting my own business was a tough ride and especially when the town is loaded with home bakers. Inshahaallah i will be uploading the delicacies here.
This is an all time favorite easy sweet and something my family loves to dig in after a spicy meal.

Actually carrot halwa is  pretty decade old recipe. My love for sweets will never die away . But i check on my calories once in a while to be on the safer side . Thank god  they are cleaned away as soon as i set it on the table.

This is our recipe .. hope u guys love it .

Ingredients

1/2 kilo  carrots grated finely
1/2 litre milk
1/2 cup ghee
3 tbsp Almonds, Raisans, Pista- chopped
1/2  cup sugar (or to taste)
1 teaspoon Cardamom powder

Method:

1. Heat half of the ghee in a kadai..Fry some badam pieces in this till golden and keep aside.
2. fry the grated carrots into it.for 5 minutes.
3. Next add milk and boil.
4. Keep stiring every 5 minutes . Add in sugar .
5. Cook this till it  leaves the sides of the dish .
6. Add the rest of the ghee.Keep stiring well careful not to burn the halwa at this point.
7. Mix in the nuts and the cardamom powder.
8. Switch off the flame and serve hot..

Note :
My personal favorite are addition of ghee fried almonds in the halwa.

Read More

Arri paysaam/vishu/onam recipes

Arri payasam is the easiest one can make especially during  any celebrations or occassions during our busy schedules..Needless to say, yes I love anything sweet and payasam is my weakness especially this one . Payasam after a simple meal is like quenching ones craving for sweet.

Actually i am renovating my blogspace so u may find many recipes from past . Without much delay .. Here'smy recipe for today.

Ingredients

1 litre milk 

1/2 cup ghee rice.

1/2 tin milkmaid 

Ghee for roasting the nuts

Cashews and raisins as needed. 

Sugar if necessary according to taste 

Method 

Wash the rice and dry on cloth .

Just coarse grind the rice. 

Heat ghee in nonstick pan , roast cashews and raisins to golden brown. Set aside. 

Boil the milk and simmer and keep stiring for 3 minutes. 

Add the course grinded rice and cook till done.

Add in the milkmaid .

Add the sugar only if need .

Garnish withthe nuts and raisins. 

Serve warm.

Notes :

I personally dont like the addition of more sugar . 

If u find the liquid consistency too thick add more milk .

Read More

Banana roll ups | Ramadan snack

Time just flies and we already into the middle of Ramadan.
Our goal is to fast the month of Ramadan for spiritual purification and out of obedience to the orders of Allah SWT.  However, verse 2:184 ends with the statement that

                            “for to fast is to do good unto yourselves - if you but knew it.” 

Out of God’s mercy, it turns out that when we fast, we are not just gaining spiritual benefit, but doing good unto ourselves in the physical realm as well.  So much so, in fact, that fasting has become a new vogue in medicine to help people maintain good health and longevity.  This lecture series uses the most recent medical literature to do a fairly in-depth exploration of the health benefits of fasting.  These benefits include improvements in weight, glycemic control and reductions in the risk of diabetes, decreased cardiovascular disease risk factors, improvements in immune system function, decreased cancer risk, and better neurological and brain health.
This ramadan is going to be just simpke and easy snacks.  Keeping it and light and healthy to the brim. Here i have preferred to get the best way to attain simplicity with just four main ingredients.
Try it out .. its great for a sweat slider .

Ingredients

1 ripe banana ( plaintans )
8 large slices of bread
1/4  teaspoon crushed cardamom .
2 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoon milk
A pinch salt
2 tablespoon ghee

Method

Mix the eggs ,milk ,sugar ,cardamom powders and salt into a thin batter and keep aside .
Slice the banana length wise and shallow fry  in ghee .
Flatten the bread slices .
Note that the banana  slices should be the same size as the flatten bread slices.
Place the ghee fried banana slice on the single flattened bread .
Sprinkle some sugar and roll them up .
Now dip the rolls into the egg batter and shallow  fry to slightly golden color in ghee .
Sprinkle some sugar on the hot rolls .

Read More

Aval fruity milk shake

Aval shake is a very popular street drink . It sells like hot cakes during the summer.  Its basically just aval (rice)flakes , milk , mashed banana and vanilla ice cream.  Now this street food is a filling drink in my kitchen.  We lovvve it so much that i just have it for dinner. Its very filling for kids and i added nuts to just give it a lift . Over all a natural super healthy drink . Icecream is just a new addition but otherwise its just mashed banana milk and aval flakes with sugar . I have replaced sugar with honey and mango ice  cream . 

I am still recovering from my neck strain and i just wanted to have this drink for dinner which made me feel a little on the bright  side. 😊

Ingredients 

• 5 tablespoons aval rice flakes 
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 1 Chiquita banana smashed 
• 2 tablespoon vanilla ( or any other ) icecream 
• 1 teaspoon honey 
• Nuts of your choice ( walnuts, cashews ,raisins)

Method 

• First smash the banana . 
• Now into a tall glass , add the banana, aval flakes , milk, ice cream , nuts . 
• Serve cold and immediately as it might overflow with the soaking of the aval flakes .

Note 

• Serve immediately cold .
• Use fresh flakes .

Read More