Kolam - 2

I'm uploading the kolams that I drew in my apartment door entrance. The series starts.
The inspiration is from my mother, the internet, books and other kolam of the neighbourhood and my own imagination.

Kolam - 1

This is my first kolam post. I had no great interests in kolams or rangolis until recently. There are three kinds of kolam that I know of.
1. Sikku kolam
2. color kolam with dots.
3. color kolam with out dots [usually called the rangoli].

Sikku kolam is a little tough to learn, but believe me, drawing or learning them is a great stress buster. Anybody with a little drawing capability can do 2 and 3. 1 needs lots of concentration to learn. You can draw innumerous sikku kolams, from simple to complicated. There are many ways you can draw sikku kolams for a single dot structure.

 I'm drawing a simple 5 dots sikku kolam that 99 percent of the people are aware of.
I'm sticking to pen and paper as of now. I'm learning to do them with Kola maavu.

Another variation. :)

Get your self pen and paper and start practicing. Happy kolam time :).

Sealing the Break

I moved back to India from the US, and blogging was the last thing in mind. Almost a year with no new post. I wanted to get back to my space and here I'm. I welcome myself. "Welcome back Raji!" 

cabbage onion fritters / Onion Cabbage vadai

This is one of the easiest and the tastiest snack that can be made and had on a rainy day. Just don't mind the oil. You WILL have to fry this snack, but it does not take too much of oil.

Ingredients:

sliced cabbage: 1 cup
Sliced Onions: 1 cup
Besan: 3 tbsp
Rice flour: 4 tbsp [The more crispier You want, the more rice flour u add]
Red chilly powder: 1/2 tbsp [adjust according to your spice levels]
Ajwain: 1 tsp [completely optional: It helps in digestion though]
Salt: to taste
Oil: to fry

Method:

1. Mix everything[except oil] together with very little water. The veggies and the flour should bind very well.
2. Fry small vadai sized portions in oil.
3. Enjoy with green chutney or any other chutney of your choice on a rainy day.

You can make these on non-rainy days too. But they taste extra tasty on rainy days.

Potato Fry

I call potato as " the Miracle vegetable". I was not very fond of potatos until I started cooking. To cook potato is the easiest task in kitchen, next to making hot water!

Ingredients:
Potato - 1 [clean, remove skin, cut it into cubes]
Chopped Onions - 1 no.
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
cumin - 1 tsp
Chilly powder / mommy's sambar powder - 1/2 to 3/4 tbsp [ depends on how spicy u need it]
garam masala - 1 tsp [ optional ]
Salt - as needed.
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
1. Oil in a big wide pan.
2. Cumin and urad dal in.
3. Let mustard splutter.
4. Saute Onions with a little salt. [fastens the procedure].
5. Chilly powder in.
6. Diced potatoes in.
7. Sprinkle salt. [ & garam masals if using]
8. Stir everything together.
9. Close the pan with a lid. You want the potatoes to be cooked in the steam. so no water.

Easy Potato fry is ready to go with your sambar rice or lemon rice or Tamarind Rice or the undisputed curd rice.

Much more easier version is coming soon!!

 

Kuzhi paniyaram with Tomato Chutney

The lazy cook that I'm, I do not do elaborate preparations for this delicacy. All I do is use the leftover dosai batter for making kuzhipaniyarams. I'm not even aware of how to make fresh batter for kuzhipaniyaram.I'm just happy with my dosai batter. Now for the method.

 

Ingredients:

 

1. For the batter:

 

Dosai batter - 2 cups.

rice flour - 2 tbsp.

Rava - 1 tbsp.

 

2. To saute and mix in the batter:

Chopped onions - 1

Chopped green chillies: 2

Cumin - 1 tsp

Channa dal - 2 tbsp

mustard - 1/2 tsp

salt - just for the onions

chopped curry leaves - 5 -6 leaves

 

Method:

1. oil in wok

2. mustard seeds in. Let it splutter.

3. Cumin seeds in.

4. Channa dal in. let it roast.

5. chopped onions in. let it medium fry for 3 - 4 mins.

6. Chopped green chillies and curry leaves in.

7. add salt.

8. Add the above sauteed ingredients into the batter[dosa batter + rice flour+ rava].

9. pour into the kuzhipaniyaram pan and make these delicious paniyarams.

 

Serve it hot with tomato chutney. 

 

 

Mushroom biryani

My love for biryani has no bounds!! I just love this dish. Biryani is a must have for both me and my DH at least once a week.I make biryani in a 5 quart pan. You can also do it in a cooker, without using the whistle.

Ingredients:

Mushroom - 1 cup [cleaned and sliced]
Basmathi rice - 1 cup [washed and soaked for 30 mins]
water - 1.25 cups
cinnamon - 1 inch
cloves - 3
bay leaf - 1 leaf
cardamom - 2 [optional]
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
GG paste - 2 tblsp
sliced Onions - 1
mint leaves - 2 hands full or one bunch
red chilly powder - 1/2 tblsp & coriander powder - 1 tblsp [this can be repalced with store brought biryani masala - 2 tblsp]
curd - 3 tblsp
Ghee - 2 tblsp
Oil - 3 tblsp
Salt - as needed.

Method:

1. Oil and ghee into the heavy bottomed pan.
2. cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, cardamom, cumin seeds, fennel seeds in.
3. Onions in. fry them well.
4. GG paste in.
5. Mushrooms in. fry until water comes out of it.
6. curd in
7. red chilly powder & coriander powder in.
8. add the mint leaves.
9. Rice,water and salt in.
10. mix every thing together. Close the pan with the lid.
11. flame high for 7 minutes and then simmer until the rice is done.

Mix the biryani gently with a fork to get non sticky rice.
Serve it hot with onion raitha.