Aloo Bonda

Potato is always everyones favorite and its always taste great. A perfect circle with aloos(potato) inside is a very tempting dish. It is a perfect snack with a cup of tea or coffee in the evening.

Preparation Time: 5 min

Cooking Time: 25 min

Serves: 10 bonda

Ingredients: Batter: Kadalai maavu - 1 cup Salt to taste Soda uppu - 1 tsp Chili powder -  1 tsp Food color (optional) Stuffing: Potato - 2 medium sized or 1 big sized Onion - ½ cup - finely chopped Green chili - 2 Ginger - 1 tsp - finely chopped Lemon juice - 1 tbsp Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard - ½ tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Jeera - ½ tsp Curry leaf - 1 sprig Coriander leaf - ¼ cup finely chopped Turmeric powder - 1 pinch Salt to taste Procedure: 1.  Pressure cook potato and allow it to cool naturally. Peel the skin of potato and mash them. 2.  Heat a medium sized pan. Add oil and when it is hot, add mustard, jeera and allow it to sputter. Then add urad dhal and roast them. Add onion, ginger, green chili and saute them until onion turns soft. 3.  Then add turmeric powder. Mix the mashed potatoes, salt, curry leaf, coriander leaf. Finally add lemon juice and give a good stir. Transfer aloo masala to a bowl and allow it to cool. 4.  Meanwhile, In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients in “batter” section. Sift the flour before adding to avoid lumps. Add water and make bonda batter in a idly batter consistency. 5.  Make lemon sized balls from the stuffing masala. Drop them into prepared batter. Coat it with the batter. 6.  Heat oil in a kadai. Drop the dipped masala balls into hot oil. Fry them until it is cooked. Delicious aloo bonda is ready for a chill evening..!!

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Onion Bonda

Winter is starting here...!! and its will be perfect evening with this hot onion bonda and a cup of tea or coffee.

Preparation Time: 2 min
Cooking Time: 15 min
Serves: 15 count 

 Ingredients:

• Kadalai Maavu - 1 cup
• Onion - 2 big sized - Cut lengthwise and one or two cut in middle
• Onion should be neither too long nor too short
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - to fry

Procedure:

1.  Take a large mixing bowl and add all the ingredients except oil. Mix them well and add water. Make it into a batter consistency. It should neither be too thin nor thick.

2.  Heat a kadai with oil to fry. Pour a scoop of batter in to hot oil.

3.  Keep in medium high flame and fry them until it turns brown. Fry until sound cease otherwise the center of bonda won’t get cooked properly.

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Madurai Special Chicken Salna

Chicken salna is prepared from roasted masala and it smells great. It is a Madurai style spicy salna and goes well with parotta, egg dosa, keema dosa...!!

Preparation Time: 25 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 4

 Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 500 gm
2. Onion - 2 big sized - finely chopped
3. Tomato - 3 big sized - finely chopped
4. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
6. Bay leaf - 1
7. Curry leaf - 1 sprig
8. Green chili - 2
9. Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
10. Oil - 3 tbsp
11. Salt to taste

Roast and grind:

1. Raw rice - 1 tbsp
2. Milagu - 1 tsp
3. Red chili - 4
4. Jeera - ½ tbsp
5. Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
6. Cinnamon - ¼ inch
7. Cloves - 3
8. Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
9. Fried gram - 1 tsp
10. Coconut - ¼ cup
11. Cashew nuts - 2
12. Curry leaf - 1 sprig
13. Star Anise - ¼ piece  

 Procedure:

1.  Dry roast all the ingredients given in “Roast and grind” in a medium sized pan until it starts turning brown.

2.  Allow it to cool and grind them into powder. Do not add water. This will be the masala powder.

3.  Heat a large pan or pressure cooker with oil. Add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Then add bay leaf, curry leaf and roast for few seconds. Add chopped onion and ginger garlic paste. Saute for 2 min or until it turns golden brown.

4.  To this add green chili, tomato, salt and saute for 2 min. Add the fresh clean chicken pieces and cook them until it turns white.

5.  Then add turmeric powder and the masala powder prepared in step 2. Mix well and add 1 cup of water. Adjust salt to taste.

6.  If you are using pressure cooker, close the lid and allow it to cook for 3 whistles. If you are using a pan, close the lid and keep in medium flame for 20-25 min, or until chicken turns soft. Garnish with cilantro and serve with multilayered parotta.
 

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Pasipayaru Paratha

Here is a dish for growing kids and also for adults who are in diet. This paratha will make your kid take proteins in their diet. Everyone in your home would enter your kitchen to look for this delicious flavor and aroma. ;-)

 Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

*  Chappathi flour - 1 ½ cup
*  Oil or ghee - 1 tbsp
*  Salt to taste

Stuffing:

1.   Mung bean / Green Gram / பாசிப் பயறு - ½ cup - cooked
2.   Onion - 1 cup - finely chopped
3.   Coriander - ¾ cup - finely chopped
4.   Garam masala - 2 tsp
5.   Ginger garlic paste  - 1 tsp
6.   Green chili paste - 2 tsp
7.   Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
8.   Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.  Take a large mixing bowl and add chappati flour. I used multigrain atta. You can use regular atta too. Add ghee or oil and salt. Mix them well. Then add water and make it into a smooth soft dough. Close the lid or wrap in wet tissue and set aside for 15 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, prepare stuffing for paratha. Pressure cook green gram. It should be about to turn mushy. But not too mushy. Slightly smash it and keep it in a bowl.

3.  In another mixing bowl, Put all ingredients given in “Stuffing” section and mix them well. Allow it to rest for 5 min. The nice aroma from the stuffing itself tempts to eat :-)

4.  Then make big lemon sized balls from the dough and roll it to a small circle. Place the stuffing and wrap the edges to seal the stuffing completely.

5.  Gently tap with dry flour and roll it again into a circle paratha. Heat chappati pan and cook paratha on both sides. Add oil or ghee while cooking paratha. Serve with raita and remaining stuffing ;-)

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Carrot Payasam - With Coconut Milk

Carrot is a excellent source of Vitamin A and it has number of health benefits improving vision, beautiful skin, anti-aging. It is always good to take carrot in different form everyday. Carrot payasam is a yummy dessert too.
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Serves: 2
Ingredients:

• Carrot - 2 medium sized
• Milk - 1 cup
• Coconut milk - ½ cup
• Sugar - ¼ cup and 2 tbsp
• Cashew nuts - few
• Dry grapes - few
• Almonds - few
• Ghee - ½ tbsp 

Procedure:

1.  Heat a medium sized pan, pour milk and bring it to boil. Add coconut milk and stir slowly. Reduce to medium flame and add sugar. Keep stirring slowly.

2.  Clean and peel the skin of carrot. Grate them and grind it into a smooth juice. You can use juice extractor too. Add carrot juice to boiling milk.

3.  Roast cashew nuts, almond, dry grapes in ghee and add to carrot payasam. Serve hot or chill.

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Conchigliette Pomodoro

Italian Cuisine:

Conchiglitte means small shell pasta. Pomodoro means tomato. And this mouth watering dish is an Italian recipe. Kids always love pasta and instead of the regular masala pasta we make, here is a twist to the pasta flavor with healthy vegetables. You can add vegetables of your choice and serve.

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

1. Conchiglitte / Small shell pasta - 1 cup
2. Tomato - 2 medium sized - finely chopped
3. Carrot - ¼ cup - grated
4. Broccoli - ¼ cup - cut to small size
5. Spinach - ¼ cup - finely chopped
6. (peas, corn can also be added)
7. Garlic - 3 pieces - finely chopped
8. Pepper powder - 3 tsp
9. Lime juice - 2 tsp
10. Spring onion - 1 tbsp - cut into pieces
11. Cheese - ¼ cup - grated
12. Olive oil - 2 tbsp
13. Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.  In a large pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and saute for few sec, As nice aroma comes out add paste. Garlic should not turn brown. Saute pasta for 2 min.

2.  To this add vegetables of your choice. I added carrot, broccoli, spinach, spring onion. Give a good stir. 
3.  Then add tomatoes and mix well. Add salt and pepper. Before tomato becomes mushy add 3 cups of water and bring it to boil. You can add vegetable broth instead of water.
4.  Reduce to medium flame and close the lid. Allow it to cook for 15 min. Water will be completely absorbed and pasta should be cooked well. At this stage add lemon juice and give a good stir. Finally garnish with cheese. Serve hot.

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Onion Idly

Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Idly batter 1 cup
2. Onion 1/2 cup
3. Mustard 1 tsp
4. Urad dhal 1 tsp
5. Jeera 1 tsp
6. Curry leaf - 1 sprig
7. Green chili - 1
8. Asafetida
9. Salt to taste

Procedure:

    1.   In a medium sized pan pour oil. When oil becomes hot, add mustard jeera and allow it to sputter. Then add urad dhal channa dhal. Roast till it starts turning golden brown. Add curry leaf and sauté for 2 sec. Sprinkle asafetida. Then add onion green chili. Add little salt. Sauté them till onion becomes translucent. Switch off the stove and transfer the mixture to a bowl.

    2.   Allow the mixture to cool down for 5 min. Then add the idly batter. Mix the content thoroughly. Pour a scoop of batter in the idly pan.

    3.   Cook for 5 min after steam starts coming or until its cooked completely. Transfer the hot cooked idly into hot box or serve hot with sambhar or your favorite chutney.

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Paneer Paratha

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Serves: 7

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 2 cup

Stuffing:

1. Oil - 1 tbsp
2. Onion - ½ cup
3. Paneer - grated - 1 cup
4. Salt to taste
5. Green chili - 2
6. Coriander - 1 tbsp
7. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
8. Garam masala - 1 tsp

Procedure:

1. Heat a medium sized pan and add oil. Once the oil gets heated, add the chopped onions and saute it until it turns golden brown. Now add the grated paneer, 1 tbsp chat masala and 1 tbsp coriander powder.
   
2. Add little salt to it and mix it. Saute them until raw smell leaves. Transfer it to bowl. Add finely chopped green chili and coriander leaves. Make the stuffing into small balls.
   
3. In a mixing bowl, put wheat flour and add salt to taste. Make it into a smooth dough by adding water. Apply few drops of oil. Cover it for 15 min. Make big balls from the dough. Roll it lightly and place the stuffing in the middle and seal it by lifting the edges of the dough.
   
4. Gently roll the dough and make sure the filling doesn't come out. Use dry wheat flour for rolling if required. Place the paratha on a hot tawa. Cook it for few seconds and turn it the other side. Add few drops of oil. Roast till its cooked and turns golden brown.
   

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Laddu

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 10 laddu

Ingredients:

1. Kadalai Maavu - 1 cup
2. Food color - yellow - 1 pinch
3. Ghee - 1 tbsp
4. Cashew nuts - 10 pieces

Syrup:

1. Sugar - 1 ½ cup
2. Water - ¼ cup

Procedure:

1.   Sift kadalai maavu. In a large mixing bowl, mix kadalai maavu and food color. Add water and make it into a batter. It should be in dosa batter consistency.

2.   Heat oil in a kadai. Check whether oil hot by putting a drop of batter into it. It should rise immediately to the top. Take a karandi with holes.

3.   Pour a scoop of batter over the karandi and slowly rub the batter.Once it is cooked remove it from oil. Place it over the tissue. It should not become crispy.

4.   In a pan , heat water and sugar to make the syrup. Keep in medium flame and check for string consistency. If you check with syrup in between index finger and thumb finger a string should be formed. In a small pan, heat ghee and Roast cashew. Add to sugar syrup.

5.   Then add the prepared bhoondi in the sugar syrup. Mix it thoroughly and transfer to mixer. Do not allow it to cool. Grind for 2 sec.

6.   As it is in bearable heat make small balls. Allow it to cool for some time.

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