Elaneer (Tender Coconut) Payasam

Wish All of you a very happy new year.

I am just enjoying living in South India. Exploring variety of south Indian Cuisines. In Bangalore we visited one Restaurant, "BON SOUTH". They serves all 4 South Indian state's  recipes. We just love going there and enjoy their buffet . This Paysam is one of the favorite recipes from Bon South. They Serve  this in a shot glasses. After our 3-4 visits we ask the chef the secret of this recipe. He just told us the ingredients & I tried it at home and wow just awesome soothing. One who loves tender coconut's malai- the flesh, will surely love this payasam.

Ingredients

Coconut Milk - 1 cup (I used fresh thick milk)

Tender coconut water - 1/2 cup

Tender coconut Flesh (Malai) - 1 cup

Sweetened Condensed milk - 4 tablespooons

Procedure

For this Payasam while making coconut milk, I used tender coconut water to grind coconut. Take tender coconut flesh and grind to not so smooth paste. Now add condensed milk and coconut milk and mix it with one round of mixer. You can adjust its consistency as  you like. If you want little watery then add little coconut water in it.  Keep this in Fridge for some time and serve chilled Payasam in shot glasses :-)

Chocolate Modak For Ganpati Bappa !

Just few days left for Ganesha Festival. So this year I thought that I will post some unique modak recipes for you in advance so that you will also enjoy the new versions of Modak in those 10 days.

As we all are huge fan of chocolates, so last year I offer chocolate modak with Khirapat in it to my bappa.It is very easy and  even kids loves the taste. 

The thing is you will require modak mould for setting the chocolate.

Ingredients

Compound dark chocolate - 500 Gms (I used MORDE brand)

Khirapat/ Panchkhadya - 3-4 tablespoons

Cardamom essence - 1-2 drops

Procedure

There are two methods to melt a chocolate bar. One is to directly melt pieces of bar in a microwave for a minute or so. But I prefer to make it in second method that is double boiler.

For that Boil water in a big vessel.  Keep One pan on it. Now put pieces of dark chocolate bar in it.  Stir in between so that no lumps are left.  When chocolates melt completely add khirapat/ Panchakhadya in it and mix well.

Now pour it in  modak moulds properly. Tap the tray twice so that no air gap remains in chocolates.

 Keep in refrigerator for 15 minutes.  Then demould modaks.  Your Modak Prasad is ready to offer.

GANPATI BAPPA MORAYA!!!

Tomato Ketchup

My Daughter 'Sara' loves Tomato ketchup like anything. She like to have ketchup in her every meal. Store bought Ketchup has lots of preservatives. So I decided to do it myself. My mother used to do this recipe when we were kids. So history repeats itself. Now It's my turn :-). Very easy to make recipe. First I made it with half Kg. Tomatoes. Now next time going to make at least 2-3 kgs. of tomatoes.

Ingredients

Tomatoes: 1 Kg

Garlic cloves: 10-12.

Ginger - 1" inch

Onion: 2 medium size.

Pepper - 12-15

Cinnamon - 1" stick

Cardamom- 6-7

Cloves - 7-8

Red chilli powder - 1teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Vinegar - 1/2 cup

Sugar: 5 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Procedure

Make Slices of onions. Wash and cut tomatoes into big pieces. Now except Vinegar, sugar & salt put everything in a pressure cooker, Add 5-6 tablespoons of water. Cook it for 1-2 whistles. After that cool it completely. Make a fine paste of this cooked tomato mixture. Strain it with a stainless steel strainer. Now transfer it to heavy bottom pan. Add sugar, salt & vinegar. Mix it properly. Put it on gas flame on simmer. You have to stir it in between. It will take at least half an hour to become the mixture thick. Check the consistency of the sauce. It should not be very loose in texture. Cool it and store it in a glass jar. It tastes actually as store bought Ketchup. And that to fresh one with no preservatives.

 

 

 

Suprise Heart Cake For Valentine

Wish you all a very Happy Valentine Day!!! 

These are Simple vanilla cupcakes have heart in it. When your loved one will take a bite of it.....He or she will find a heart in it. Very easy to make but very innovative.  So give a pleasant surprise to your Sweetheart.

Ingredients
Butter (softened) - 120 Grams.
caster Sugar - 3/4 Cup

Eggs - 2

All Purpose flour - 1 cup

Baking Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Vanilla Essence - 1 teaspoon

Milk - 5 Tablespoons
Red food colour - as per require

Procedure

First of all Preheat oven at 180 degree centigrade.

Now take a Big Bowl and Beat butter and sugar till it gets fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat it. It should become very fluffy. You can use hand mixer or a blender for this.  Now at another side mix vanilla and milk. Sift APF and Baking Powder. Add vanilla and milk and beat it for a minute.  Now add flour and mix it properly. No lumps should form. Your batter is ready now.

For the heart shape, pour approximately 1½ cups of the batter into a smaller bowl. Keep remaining batter in airtight container. Now add 3-4 drops of red colour and mix it. Repeat this till you get the perfect colour of heart. Make sure it is slightly darker because after baking the colour get reduced. Now pour it in greased baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. Check if the cake is done with knife edge. Allow the cake to cool completely. Place the cake on one tray. And make little heart shape with small heart-shaped cookie cutter. You can draw and cut with knife too.

Now arrange paper cups in a tray. Mark with some pen on each paper cup so that after baking we will remember the correct heart position. Pour 2 tablespoon of remaining  batter in each cup. (approx. 12 cupcakes you will get from this measure.) Place heart in it according to the mark on paper cup. (front of the heart facing the mark on the paper cup ). Now cover it with a teaspoon of batter. Do it very gently. Bake it in oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 10 mins.

I didn't get time to decorate it. But please decorate it nicely.  And While serving let your sweetheart know from which portion he has to take a bite of cake. So that you can open your heart in front of him.

This post goes to Spotlight: Valentine's Treat Of RECIPE JUNCTION.

And Lets cook sweet treats for Valentine By Nayana

Vatalya Daliche Ladu

Wish you all a very Happy Diwali!!! 

This Diwali with all type of common 'Pharal', I had planned to try some different type of sweets or savory items. As my daughter is too small, I managed to try out this in her afternoon nap timing.

This is a typical Maharashtrian recipe. My Friend, Sonali used to do this Ladoo very Nicely.  It tastes really awesome and definitely very different than a normal Besan Ladoo. Must try recipe for This Diwali…...

 

 

Ingredients

Chana dal - 4 cups

Pure Ghee - 2 cup

Sugar - 3,1/2 cups

Water - 1,1/2cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Saffron - 1/2 teaspoon

Cardamom Powder - 1 teaspoon

Almond chips  - 2 teaspoon

 

Procedure

Wash & soak chana dal for 4-5 hours. Then grind it to a coarse  paste. It should not a very soft paste.

 

Heat Pure ghee in heavy bottom pan.  Now add grinded dal to it.  Stir it continuously on low flame. It may take an hour or so .  Dal should get golden colour with nice aroma.  You have to take precaution while doing it. Dal should not stick to the bottom, so it should be on low flame only. Now remove it from burner.

 

In a nonstick pan take sugar and water to make a syrup. Boil it till you get 2 strands consistency (2tari pak in Marathi). You can easily make out two strings when you take a little drop of syrup in your two finger's tip (pressing and then separating from each other). Syrup is ready.

 

 

Now add milk, saffron and cardamom powder to it and mix wel.  Then add roasted chana dal paste in it. And mix it neatly till bottom. Cover it and keep aside for 2 hours so that dal will absorbs all the syrup.

 

 

Then Make Ladoos  of any size you want. I made small size ladoos. So I got 45 ladoos from this mixture. Tasting really yummy & very soft :-P.