Thari kanji / Semolina Payasam(Kheer)

Every one surely would be confused with the name of this dish. It is not an actual porridge (kanji) but is a special type of lightly sweetened drink made from rava (semolina), milk and a little sugar and seasoned with shallots (small onion ), nuts and raisins. This is mostly taken for breaking the Ramadan fast. Adding fried shallots gives immense taste to thari kanji.

Ingredients
Semolina (rava) -1 ½ tsp
Milk – 1 ½ cup
Sugar – 2-3tsp
Sliced Shallots (small onion) – 2-3nos
Cardamom powder (optional) – a pinch
Nuts & raisins – a few
Ghee -2tsp

How to Prepare
=►Dilute milk with 1 cup of water (if the milk is thick).
=►Boil 2 ½ cups of diluted milk in a pan, once it is boiled add 1 ½ tsp of semolina,
a pinch of cardamom powder and 2tsp of sugar into it.
=►Allow it to cook for 10-15min on medium flame and stir it occasionally.
=►Heat 2tsp of ghee in a pan and fry raisins, nuts and sliced shallots.
=►Pour it over the milk mixture.

Note: If u are using skim milk (low fat) no need to add water (use 2 ½ cups of skim milk). If You want the thari kanji to be thick then add one more tsp of semolina.

Palada Pradaman (Rice flakes kheer)

It is a sweet dish made of rice flakes (ada),sugar and milk. Instead of sugar we can usejaggery(shakara). Pradaman has its own role in any sadhya.

Ingredients
Rice ada -1/2cup
Milk – 4cups
Sugar – as rqd
Ghee -1tsp
Cashews & Raisins – a few

How to Prepare
=►Soak rice ada (readymade ada) in hot water for 15min.
=►After that wash rice ada in water (It helps to make it smooth & smell free).
=►Heat a pan, add 4cups of milk into it and allow it to boil.
=►Keep stirring till it becomes light brown. It would become condense(thick) by now.
=►Add drained ada into it and keep on stirring until the ada becomes soft.
=►Add sugar to taste, stir it so that it mixes well and switch off the flame.
=►Add resins and cashew fried in ghee into it.

Note: You can get readymade ada from Indian stores. The whole process can take 1hr.Make sure that you are putting ada only after the milk has become thick after stirring (step 4). If you want to make it more thick add condensed milk (milkmaid).

Sambar

Sambar is a vegetable stew made with dal and vegetables in a spicy tamarind base. It is usually poured alongside rice, idly, vada. In Malabar region fried coconut is a main ingredient in Sambar.

Ingredients
Toor dal (sambar parippu) -3tsp
Ladies finger – 4nos
Drumstick -1medium size
Ash gourd (kumblanga) slices -1/2cup
Beans slices -1/4cup
Carrot -1no
Tomato – 1 small
Onion – 1 medium
Potato – 1 small
Green chilies - 4nos
Tamarind juice – 1/4cup
Hing (kayam) powder - 1/4tsp
Cilantro –A few
Salt – As rqd
Ladies finger, carrot, drumstick and beans cut to pieces lengthwise 1 1/2inch.
Ash gourd, tomato, oinion, potato cut to small slice.

For frying & Grinding
Grated coconut – 1/2cup
Urad dal (uzhunnu parippu) – 1/2tsp
Fenugreek seeds (uluva) – 1/2tsp
Coriander powder -1 1/2tsp
Red chilly powder -1tsp
Sambar powder – 1tsp

For Seasoning
Mustard seeds -1/2tsp
Dry red chilies – 2nos
Curry leaves –a few
Oil – 4tsp

How to prepare
=►Heat 1/2tsp of oil in a frying pan, add ladies finger and sauté it 2-3min on medium flame and keep it aside.

For grinding
=►Heat 1tsp of oil, add fenugreek and allow it to splutter.
=►Add Urad dal, red chilly, coriander, sambar powder & grated coconut in to it and fry it.
=►Sauté it till the coconut turns golden brown.
=►Once it gets brown color, remove it from the pan and let it cool for 10 min.
=►Grind the above mixture to thin paste and keep it aside.

=►Cook all other vegetables (except ladiesfinger & drumstick) along with toor dal,
green chilies, turmeric and salt. (Should not be overcooked)
=►Once it is cooked add fried ladiesfinger and drumstick into it and cook it for 2-4min.
=►Add tamarind juice into it and allow it to boil for 4-6min on medium flame.
=►Add grinded coconut paste after the tamarind juice boils and cook it for 2-3min.
=►Season it with mustard, dry red chilly and curry leaves.
=►Add finely chopped cilantro for garnishing.

Dates Pickle (Eethapzham achar)

Dates are sweet by nature and are rich source of vitamin C. Below is the receipe of how to prepare dates pickle. This is best when served as a side with Biriyani. Date pickle is a sweet and lightly sour dish.

Ingredients
Dates(seeds removed)– 20nos
Finely chopped garlic -1/2tsp
Finely chopped Ginger – 1/2tsp
Green chilies – 2nos
Turmeric powder – 1/4tsp
Red chilly powder – 1tsp
Hing (kayam) – a pinch
Salt –a pinch
Vinegar -1/4cup
Oil – 4tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2tsp
Fenugreeks (uluva) -1/4tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Dry red chilly – 2nos


How to Prepare
=►Chop dates into small pieces (4pieces).
=►Heat 4tsp of oil in a pan, add mustard& fenugreek. And allow them to splutter.
=►Add finely chopped ginger, garlic, curry leaves, dry red chilly and green chilies.
=►Saute them till all the raw smell of garlic goes off.
=►Add turmeric, red chilly, hing powder ,salt and 1/4cup of vinegar into it.
=►Allow them to boil for 1-2min. And add chopped dates and sauté them for
another 2min.

Note: If u want loose texture, add boiled water.
You like more sourness add more vinegar.

Bread balls

This is a tea time snack and is very tasty. Children will surely like this bread balls. All the ingredients are readily available ones and the preparation is also very easy. This can also be served as an appetizer in any party.

Ingredients
Bread – 3 pieces
Milk – 1 1/2tsp
Cardamom powder – a pinch
Sugar – 1/2tsp
Grated nuts (optional) – 1tsp
Oil for deep frying



How to Prepare
=►Remove the 4 sides(brown color border) from the bread (I used wheat bread).
=►Make a dough along with bread pieces, milk, cardamom, nuts and sugar.
=►The dough should be softer than chapatti dough and make small balls (like small gooseberry).
=►Fry each bread balls in oil. Fry it till the balls turns brown color.
=►serve hot with tea or coffee.

Yellow Pumpkin Erisseri

Erisseri is a kerala dish and it is also a part of feast, be it onam ,vishu or marriage .Here I have used yellow pumpkin but it can be made with papaya also.

Serving:4 Adult
Ingredients
Sliced yellow pumpkin - 2 cups
Black-eyed beans (Van Payar) - 1/2cup
Chilly powder - 1/2tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
Salt - As rqd

For Grinding
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Garlic Pods - 3nos
Sliced green chilly - 3nos
Cumin(jeerakam) - ½tsp

For seasoning
Oil -4tsp
Dried chilly - 2nos
Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Grated coconut - 1sprig

How to Prepare
=►Soak black-eyed beans for 1hr and Cut the pumpkin into small cubes.
=►Cook pumpkin & red beans together along with enough water and salt
(Use cooker-3-4whistle is enough).

While the above ingredients are being cooked do steps 3&4.
=►Heat 2tps of oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.
=►Add grated coconut, turmeric, chilly powder, green chilies and garlic podes.
=►Fry it until coconut turns brown and grind it (make a fine paste).
=►By this time water would have evaporated from the boiling pumpkin.
And add grinded paste into it.
=►Mix it properly and let it stay in a sim flame for 4-6min.
For seasoning
=► Heat 2tsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to splutter.
=► Add dried chilies, curry leaves and 2tsp of grated coconut and fry it.
=►.Pour these fried mixture into the cooked pumpkin & black-eyed beans and mix well.
=►Serve hot it with plane rice.

Spicy Cauliflower (Gobi Masala)

Ingredients
Cauliflower florets – 2cups
Onion finely chopped – 3/4cup
Tomato finely chopped -1/2cup
Green chilies – 3nos
Grated ginger – 3/4tsp
Grated garlic -3/4tsp
Cumin seeds (jeerakam) -1/2tsp
Cardamom (elakka) – 2nos
Cinnamon (karuvapatta) – 2small pieces
Cloves (grambu) – 4nos
Cilantro (malliyila) – a few
Curry leaves – a few
Oil – 4tsp
Water -1cup
Salt –as rqd

Spice Powders

Turmeric powder – 1/2tsp
Red chilly powder – 1tsp
Coriander powder – 2tsp
Garam masala – 1/2tsp

How to Prepare

=►Heat 4tsp of oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.
=►Add cardamom, cloves, grated ginger and garlic into it (medium flame).
=►Sauté them till all the raw smell of garlic goes off.
=►Then add all spices (except garam masala) one by one into it (sim flame).
=►Sauté it for 30sec (be careful that it doesn’t get coated because of over burning).
=►Next add chopped onion, curry leaves and green chilies in to it.
=►Fry it till the onion turns brown and add garam masala powder, tomato and
Cauliflower along with one cup of water and salt.
=►Close it with a lid and allow it to cook for 15 min on medium flame.
=►Stir it occasionally .If you want more gravy then add more water.
=►Once it is cooked, add finely chopped cilantro in to it (optional).
=►This is very tasty with poratta and also rice.