Kichi bhajji

Kichi bhajji  is one of our authentic dish prepared during Sankranti/Pongal.  We accompany this with Bhakri, or dhapaatya.   This healthy finger-licking gravy is an composition of spinach, veggies, and all sorts of dry pulses like chana, double beans, soya, green peas etc.

 I still remember in my childhood days, where my granny used to prepare it in large vessel and she used to store it for about ten days without even  refrigerating it.  And the best part of kichi bhajji is that the taste gets better day by day, after everytime it is heated.  Though i made it in large quantity for this pongal, bhajji got over by the end of third day.. such is its excellance.... I wish I had prepared more and had it now  .... :(  :(

Preparation time mostly takes an hour, and back at home, I chopped  all vegetables previous day,  to make my tomorrow's work little easier.  Cooking time would be some three to four hours.  

Ingredients required

Pressure cooking part one (Combine spinach with imli, green chilly  and pressure cook for one whistle, keep aside)

• 2 bunches of palak spinach, cleaned and finely chopped 
• 2 bunches of amaranthas leaves/molai keera, cleaned and finely chopped
• 2 bunches of small methi leaves, cleaned and finely chopped
• 2-3 slit green chillies
• one cup of water
• 4 tsp of thick tamarind extract

Pressure cooking part two (Combine chopped vegetables with 11/2 cup of water and pressure cook for one whistle, keep aside)

• 100 gm of cauliflower
• 100 gm of carrot
• 100 gm of beans
• 100 gm of raddish
• 100 gm of potato
• 100 gm of capsicum
• 50 gm of cabbage

Apple pie

   Hi, this is my second challenge to Baking Partners, and topic i choosed was Apple pie.  To begin with I am a poor baker.  My first righteous cake made was, plum cake, for my first challenge for Baking partners (and before that tried making several cakes, but in vain)  I joined this group just in correct time, bcoz joining so pushed me to learn many facts, google many baking videos online, and learn baking tips.  It made me to exercise 'sincere baking efforts' which i wud not have done otherwise.  So I am feeling so thankful to Swathi Iyer, Tamy, Gayathri, Samantha and other friends of mine for putting such an nice initiative, and encouraging new bakers.. Great job guys.. go ahead...

  And yes, my apple pie, really turned out super-delecious (though i was a bit upset about its shape, as i had baked on aluminium pan, it came out like 'cake shaped' .  On the top of this my kid didnt beleive it was pie, she said 'no mummy, it is apple cake' ;) ;) and correcting me, she happily ate it )

.

So, off to recipe..

Ingredients required

For the crust

• 250 gm plain flour/maida
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 80 gm butter
• 1 Egg
• 100 gm powdered sugar

For the filling

• 1/2 kg apple
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 20 gm butter
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 50 gm powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Rawa pongal

Ingredients required

To temper

• 5-6 tsp of ghee
• 2 tsp finely chopped ginger pieces
• 1/2 tsp perungayam
• 1 tsp whole peppercorn
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• Few curry leaves
• Few cashewnuts, broken

others

• 1/4 cup moong dal, boiled
• 1 cup sooji rawa (roasted in kadaai till light brown colour)
• Salt, per taste

Tawa cooked Potato roast

This special potato roast is prepared in tawa, can be done in minutes.  Just because of the fact that base of tawa is huge, potatos get evenly spread, thereby aiding in fast cooking unlike kadaai, where potato pieces line in one above another resulting in very sluggish preparation.  But one should be careful while tempering, just try to stay away as far as u can ;)

Ingredients required

For temper

• 3 tsp of oil
• 1/2 tsp rai/mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp chana dal
• 1/2 tsp urad dal
• Few curry leaves and one dry red chilly finely chopped

Others

• 1 tsp idly milaga podi/idly kara podi
• 1/2 tsp hing/perungayam
• 1/2 tsp jeera powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Salt, as per taste
• 1/2 cup of parboiled potatos, cut into cubes

Method

Heat oil in tawa, add ingredients for temper one by one.  Careful while doing this step

After adding tempering, sprinkle idly milaga podi, and add potato pieces

Mix them well and cook them on moderate flame

Add in other powders, adjust salt.

Cook till done and serve hot

Hmm... it went super delecious with sambhar saadham... Do give this simple dish an quick try!!!

Inippu paniyaram

Ever thought of making sweet paniyarams in an instant method, where u dont even need batters? Yes, happily you can :) My daughter, who always demands sweets, really  luved this version.  Do try and let me know...

Ingredients required

• 3/4 cup of Aashirvaad wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of maida
• 1/4 cup milk powder
• 1/2 tsp of green cardamon powder
• 8-10 dry raisins
• 4-5 almonds, crushed
• 4 tsp of dry coconut powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp of Baking powder
• 1 cup of jaggery syrup (completelly suiting ur taste buds level)

Method

Sift in flour with baking powder, wheat flour.  Add milk powder, cardamon powder, raisins, nuts, coconut powder and salt.  Mix well.  Alternatively prepare jaggery syrup by mixing broken jaggery pieces in hot water(which is later filtered) Now add this syrup to our dry ingredient-mix and prepare a batter which  should resemble dosa batter-like consistency.  Rest this batter for fifteen minutes, after which you may pour them into kulipaniyaram pan, cooking on moderate heat. 

Serve hot with jam topped over.  Hmm... superdelecious...

 I am sending this recipe to Nivedham's Breakfast mission, CookCookandCook andThoushaltcook