Chakkera Pongali

Chakkera Pongali is again a traditional flavoured rice cooked especially at times of pujas and vrathams in A.P.

Ingredients for Chakkera Pongali

1. Steamed Rice-1 cup
2. Milk-2 cups
3. Jaggery-3 tbsps 
4. Ghee-2 tbsps
5. Nuts(Cashews and Raisins)-10 to 12 each

Procedure - How to make Chakkera Pongali

1. Cook rice and allow it to cool down completely
2. Boil milk till 2 boils and allow it to cool down completely
3. Fry nuts in ghee
4. Crush jaggery to powder
5. Heat a pan and add jaggery
6. Add little water and allow jaggery to melt down completely. Not even one string consistency is required
7. When bubbles start coming simmer the flame and add cooked rice to it and start stirring so that rice gets cooked properly in the jaggery liquid
8. Now slowly add milk to it and be careful that milk doesnot whit
9. Cook for few minutes and add fried nuts to it along with the ghee used for frying nuts and cook again for few more minutes and switch off the flame
10. And here's ready delicious Chakkera Pongali a famous traditional sweet dish

Tips - Chakkera Pongali

1. In some kind of jaggery, salt is used in its preparation. When we add milk in the above case, milk starts whitting bcoz of the salt in jaggery. So care must be taken while choosing the kind of jaggery for Chakkera Pongali

2. We can use sugar(means "Chakkera" in Telugu) instead of jaggery but Chakkera Pongali tastes better made of jaggery than of sugar

Dhadhojanam

Dhadhojanam is a traditional flavoured rice cooked especially at times of pujas and vrathams in A.P.

Ingredients:

1. Steamed Rice-1 cup
2. Curd-1/2 cup
3. Salt-as per taste
4. Oil-3 tsps
5. Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
6. Black Peppercorns-5 to 6
7. Red Chillies-4
8. Curry leaves-few

Procedure:

1. Cook rice and allow it to cool down completely
2. When rice cools down add curd and salt to it and mix well
3. Heat oil in a small pan
4. When oil gets heated add mustard seeds, black peppercorns, red chillies and curry leaves one after the other and allow them to splitter
5. Now switch off the flame and transfer them to the rice mixed with curd and salt and mix well

Note:

1.Salt and Black peppercorns give a special tasty touch to dhadhojanam

Sago Payasam - How to make Sago Payasam Recipe

Sago alias sabudana payasam is my favourite payasam among all other payasams like semiya payasam, poha payasam, rice and jaggery payasam etc. My grandma used to cook it in my childhood. My mouth is watering on remembering its taste OMG!....lol :)

Ingredients for Sago Payasam

1. Sago-1/2 cup
2. Milk-2 cups
3. Water-2 cups
4. Sugar-4 to 5 tbsps
5. Cardamom Powder-1/4 tsp
6. Ghee-2 tbsps
7. Cashewnuts-as per taste
8. Raisins-as per taste

Procedure - How to make Sago Payasam

1. Wash and soak sago alias sabudana in water for about half an hour
2. Heat ghee and lightly fry cashews and raisins
3. Boil soaked sago along with water used to soak it. 
    White coloured sago turns to transparent form which shows it cooked well
4. Add milk to it and let it boil again
5. Add sugar and cook well
6. Add cardamom powder for better aroma
7. Switch off the flame and serve sago payasam with fried cashews and raisins
8. Add ghee we used for frying. Tasty and yummy Sago Payasam or Sabudana Payasam is ready...:)

Sending My recipe to events:

Links:

http://www.easy2cookrecipes.blogspot.in/2013/01/know-your-dairy-milk.html

and

http://www.jagrutidhanecha.com/2012/12/event-series-announcement-know-your.html

Puri Kurma

Puri Kurma -  My mom makes it for puri or roti. It is a healthy gravy since all the nutritious veggies goes into its making. My family likes the combo much and it tastes better while hot.

Ingredients:

1. Gram Flour-1 cup (popularly called as Besan flour/ Garbanzo flour/ Chick pea flour)
2. Potato-1 big (diced)
3. Tomatoes-2 medium (diced)
4. Green Peas - 1/4 cup
5. Carrot - 1 medium (diced)
6. Onions-3 medium (chopped)
7. Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
8. Cumin seeds-1/4 tsp
9. Green chillies-3 (chopped)
10. Curry Leaves-8 to 10
11. Coriander-1/2 of 1 small bunch (finely chopped) 
12. Spring Onion - 2 to 3 Leaves (finely chopped)
13. Salt - To taste
14. Turmeric Powder-1 pinch
15. Oil - as required
16. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
17. Water - as required

Procedure:

1.Take Besan flour in a bowl. Add water to make it a running paste

2.Heat oil in a pan, add mustard and jeera seeds. Let them splitter
3.Add chopped onion, green chillies, curry leaves and all the veggies 1-by-1 and saute well

4.Add turmeric powder, salt. When it gets well cooked, add 2 cups of water and allow it to boil

5.Once water starts boiling, simmer the flame and add running besan paste to it and mix well
6.Allow it to cook for 2-3 mins. Switch off the flame and garnish with fresh corriander and serve hot with puri or roti :)

Note:

1.Gram Flour Kurma tastes better when hot and pouring. It suits only with puri or roti and not with rice.

Tags: Pitla, side dish for roti, side dish for chapathi, side dish for puri, side dish for poori

Fruit Custard Icecream

Fruit Custard - I love fruit custard a lot :). My mom used to prepare it in my childhood. After getting married on one fine evening i tried it and in the very first try it was a big big hit :) hubby loved it and had 2 bowls full :).

Ingredients:

1.Milk-500ml
2.Custard Powder-2 tbsps
3.Sugar-4 to 5 tbsps
4.Fruits-any as per ur choice and availability
   I used:
                     Bananas-2 (dice to fine cubes) 
                      (without bananas i feel fruit custard incomplete)
               and  Green Apple-1 big (dice to small fine cubes)

Grapes, Strawberrys, Oranges & Pomogranate seeds when added makes custard colorful

5.Dry Fruits-Cashews (finely crushed)
                 Almonds (finely crushed)
                Chironji (no need to crush)

Procedure:

1. Take 2 tbsps of custard powder into a bowl
2. From 500ml of milk, take 1/4 cup of milk and add to the custard powder & make a smooth paste
3. Boil remaining milk and add sugar
4. Keep flame low & add custard paste slowly into the milk. Stir continuously to avoid burning & cook it for 2-3 minutes
5. Switch off the flame, let it cool or refrigerate
6. Take Custard into a serving bowl, add finely chopped fruit pieces to it. On top add crushed cashews, almonds & Chironji and enjoy the tasty and delicious fruit custard

Serving Suggetions:

1. Add fruits to custard only before serving, which enhances the taste and also retains the freshness of fruits
2. Crushed cashews, almonds and Chironji gives extra yumminess

Note:

1. Depending on the amount of custard powder we use while adding it to the  milk to make a smooth paste, defines the flow of custard. I prefer adding only 2 tbsps of custard powder and not more than that to 500ml of milk. Custard when free flowing, tastes better rather than the thick pasty custard.

2. Also add custard powder to cold milk while making smooth paste. Dont add to hot milk. Lumps in hot milk make a disaster.

Easy Rava Dosa Recipe-Ravvattu-Semolina Crepes

Rava Dosa recipe or Ravvattu is one of the quick easy breakfast ideas. I call it an easy rava dosa recipe because it doesn't need the soaking and grinding part like regular dosas which is a time consuming procedure. I always look for instant breakfast dishes hence this Crispy dosa comes top in my daily breakfast list. We also call this recipe as Semolina Crepes. In telugu we call it as Ravvattu.

Ingredients for Rava Dosa Recipe

1. Rava-1 cup
2. Rice Flour-1 cup
3. Maida-1 cup
4. Salt - to taste
5. Chilli Powder-1 n 1/2 spoons
6. Onions- 1 Big 
7. Coriander-few leaves
8. Water- as required
9. Oil- as required

Procedure - How to make Easy Rava Dosa Recipe

1. Take rice flour, rava and maida of equal proportions as mentioned above into a bowl

2. Add salt, chilli powder, very finely chopped onion, finely chopped coriander leaves

3. Add more water and mix well. The consistency of the batter should be very thin compared to regular dosa batter. It should be free flowing as in the pic below

5. Heat pan, drizzle some oil

6. Take a small glass tumbler and pour the batter on the pan starting from middle to outerwards. Rava dosa comes better using a tumbler to pour the batter compared to using laddle

7. There will be holes on the dosa seen as in the pic which shows you mixed the batter perfectly.

8. Drizzle oil, allow it cook till golden brown and turn over to other side, leave it for 2 seconds then transfer to the serving plate. Enjoy your hot crunchy crispy Easy Rava Dosa Recipe.

Serving Suggestions:

1. Rava dosa recipe is easy to eat without any chutney or side dish. 

2. Rava dosa's batter should be of very thin and free flowing consistency else it seems a regular dosa.

You may also like other Dosa recipes:

   - Sprouts Dosa - A nutritious healthy breakfast 

   - Potato Masala for regular dosa

  - Adai Recipe - Iron and Protien rich

Jelly Candies Recipe-How to make orange flavoured jelly candy

Jelly Candies -  Lets get into the making of cool orange flavored jelly candy cubes.

Ingredients for Jelly Candy:

1. Jelly Powder-1Pack(available in all super markets)

2. Water-2 Cups

Procedure:

1. Boil 2 cups of water

2. Pour Jelly powder from the pack in a mixing bowl

3. Add bubbling hot water to it

4. Stir properly with a whisk or spoon till the powder dissolves completely

5. Pour the liquid into moulds 

6. Jelly takes the shape of the mould. So which ever shape you desire, you can pour the liquid into such moulds

7. Cool down the liquid to room temperature for 15 minutes 

8. Now refrigerate the moulds untill jelly thickens

9. Cut along the sides of the mould and invert it on to a plate. Here's your favourite jelly ready

10. I poured the jelly liquid in small moulds and small jelly candies are ready

Serving Suggestions:

1. After refrigerating for 20 minutes when jelly starts thickening prick toothpicks on to the candies. When jelly candy is ready you can take it out and eat as a candypop. Children do like these candypops :)

2. You can make layoured jellies of different flavours. Make jelly liquids of 2 to 3 flavours. When a flavoured layour jelly forms, pour an other flavour over it and so on. I have taken the orange flavour as per my taste

3. Just add fruit pieces to the jelly liquid and refrigerate. Jelly with a fruit piece inside will be ready

4. You can do many such experiments with jelly liquid

Note:

1. Add hot water a cup or half less than what mentioned over the jelly pack. Else you wont get proper jelly