Masala Pori/Puffed Rice

Masala Pori, a one minute tasty tea snack. Lot of us love puffed rice. So here is one version of Masala Pori.

Ingredients:

Puffed Rice Cereal - 1 pack

Red chilli - 1

Curd chilli - 1(optional)

Peanuts - 3 Tbsp

Dalia - 3 Tbsp

Garlic - 2 pods

oil,mustard seeds

Turmeric Powder - 2 Tbsp

• Add oil for tadka, then add red chilli, mustard seeds and crushed garlic pods, salt and turmeric.
• Also you need to deep fry the Peanuts, Dalia and Curd Chilli.
• Now open the puffed rice pack and pour 1/4 th of the rice, add some of the tadka contents, then again the puffed rice and tadka contents.
• Once you are done with both mix it well, until the rice gets yellowish uniformly.
• The tasty snack is ready.

Note: Always take the snack from the bottom of the vessel/make a good mix with a closed lid b'4 you serve. This is because the salt gets settled underneath.

Our Lunch on Friday

Hi Friends,

Sambhar,Amaranth Leaves Poriyal with Pappad. This was our menu this friday, I usually make something that has dhal in it on Tuesdays and Fridays. So always we'll have Sambhar on Friday. Will post the recipe for our Sambhar once my MIL comes here. I always love her sambhar. Whatever I do, I can't make sambhar like her the aroma it gives out when she makes sambhar will make us hungry. I have been watching(learning) to make sambhar like her for almost 4 yrs now, but could not make one.

Today am going to post the recipe for Amaranth Leaves Poriyal(Thandu Keerai Poriyal).

Amaranth Leaves Poriyal

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Ingredients:

Red Leave/Amaranth Leaves - about 15 stalks

Onion - .5

Red Chilli - 1

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

Coconut(grated) - 1 Tbsp

Garlic - 1 pod

Firstly, we have to cut the red leaves. You can preserve the thandu for making kootu or you can add them in the curry also. I usually preserve some of the thandu for making kootu,so i'll remove about half of the stalk. If you have a thick, broad thandu then you have to make this poriyal only with the leaves omitting the stalk.

Note: You can wash the leaves well, before you cut so that the nutrients in the leaves can be preserved.

Add about 3-4 Tbsp of water, let it boil then add some salt and then the leaves. You can omit the salt if you are worried about the colour change. Then cover and cook this for 5 mins. In between you can also check once to see if there is enough water else you can add some. But do not add more.Once you see the leaves settling down you can leave it open and wait until all the water is absorbed(if there is more water then you can drain the excess water). Set this aside for sometime.

Mean while you can make a coarse grind mixture of Garlic,coconut and half of the cumin seeds. Jus give a whip, so that the coconut is seen distinctly. Then do the talippu. Add red chilli,mustard seeds,while the mustards split add the urad dhal and then add curry leaves and onion. Fry this mixture for 2 mins, until the onion is cooked well. Then add the boiled leaves, make a stir fry and then add the coconut paste. Stir fry this until it get's dry.

The Poriyal is ready. It is good for your health since it contains lot of fibre,less oil.

Vazhaipoo Poriyal(Thuvaram)

This poriyal is one of our traditional recipe. It has Toor dal in it. So this food gives us protein also.

Ingredients:

Plantain Flower - 1
Toor Dal - 1.5 fistful
Chilli Powder - a pinch

To Grind:
---------

Coconut - 3 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - .5 teaspoon
Garlic pods - 2
Grind the above into a coarse paste. Not smooth,just to let the cumin and garlic grind.

Tadka:
--------
Red Chilli - 1
Mustard Seeds - .5 teaspoon
Urad Dhal - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves Few
Shallots - 1 minced fine
Oil - little

Procedure:

• Cook the toor dal in a cup of water for 5 mins


• Once the toor dal opens add the cut cleaned vazhaipoo.{You can also cook the Vazhaipoo in Microwave and then add to the Toor dal that is half cooked. Cooking the Vazhaipoo in MW helps to maintain the color}


• Cleaning the Vazhaipoo in running water is necessary to take the sour taste from it. Let the mixture boil and add salt,so that the Dal doesn't get mashed.


• Now drain the water and let the mixture get cool.


• Now add some chilli powder and the coconut to the vazhaipoo and mix it along.


• Do the Tadka, and then add the vazhaipoo mix and fry until the mix gets dry.

The healthy poriyal is ready.

Plantain Flower Kuzambhu

This gravy is almost similar to Fish Gravy(I have never cooked nor had it), that is what people back home say about this gravy. I learnt this recipe from my Paati(Athamma) who is a great cook but she never stops learning. She had actually taken this gravy from my Aunt. Ok To the recipe now...

Plantain flower contains the much needed home remedy for most problems related to women. The florets when cooked with dhal supplement the protein requirement quite adequately. Though it is tiresome process to clean and cut this flower, when you look into the nutrient content of this bud, you won’t have any second thoughts. I don't even like the smell of this flower in my child hood but with it's medicinal properties it has conquered me.

Ingredients

Plantain Flower - 1
Chilli Powder - 2 teaspoons
Cumin Powder - 1.5 teaspoons
Shallots - 4
Tamaring -gooseberry size
Coconut Milk - From 3 Tblspoon of Grated Coconut or 3 Tblspoon of Tinned Coconut milk
Gingelly Oil - 3 Tbl spoon

Removing florets:

• Apply little oil on both the hands to avoid sticking.


• Take out cover of the plantain flower one by one and remove a bunch of florets at a time.


• Hold them in hand and brush on the top of the bunch. This will make the stamens (thick filament with pollen) visible.


• Remove the stamens. There will be only one stamen in each floret. The Stamen is not the edible part in the floret.


• For the Kuzhambu, You need to take anthers(the long ones that are with the stamens ) and soak them in water mixed with turmeric powder (otherwise it will become black) and curd.


• The remaining part of the florets can be cut and soaked separetely for the poriyal.


• The initial florets can be used for poriyal alone you need not take the anthers from them.


• Once the Florets are not black and better you can take out the anthers for the Gravy, Anthers from 3-4 Bunch of florets is sufficient for the gravy.
  

This prepatory work can be done the previous night.

Steps:

• Steam the anthers in a steamer or Idli Cooker for 5 mins.


• Grind Chilli Powder, Cumin Powder and Shallots.


• Then get the tamarind paste, mix the paste that's been grinded and then add the anthers steamed(you can cut them using a scissor if you thnk it's too long) and add salt also now.
  {You can check for the taste and adjust the contents according to your taste(salt and Chilli powder).}


• Heat the Oil and once it is hot you can pour the mixed content in it.


• Leave it for some time until it boils well(3-4 mins), then add the coconut milk and boil until the oil seperates.

Note: Take care not to make the inital paste too watery...

This is the recipe for the gravy. I bet this one is a lip smacking gravy & ofcourse healthier too.. The smell it gives out when it boils is really wonderful

Lunch Today

Our Lunch Today was Plantain Flower Kuzhambu,Plantain Flower Poriyal, Potato Fry and Papad along with White Rice for K and Wheat Rice for me. Am Following up with the recipes for the Plantain Flower Kuzhambu and Poriyal below.

First Entry

Will start with a sweet today for my first entry. My blogging interest started from other blogging friends, though I cannot post like them I jus wanted to share my own recipes and thoughts with all of the world. Ok Let me give a try.

I dedicate this blog to all my family members.