CAKE

BUTTER CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

• Stoke Margarine (for cakes) 8 Oz
• Sugar 8oz
• Eggs   4 to 5
• Self-Rising Flour 8 Oz
• Vanilla
• Baking Powder ½ teaspoon

 METHOD:

• In a bowl beat eggs well.
• Add margarine, sugar, flour, baking powder and Vanilla and beat well to form a homogeneous mixture.
• Bake in a baking tray in a moderate oven - 170 C
• Nuts and fruits can be added - If added will need more time to bake.

EGG-LESS FRUIT CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

• Butter (unsalted) 8 Oz
• Condensed Milk (Nestles) 1 Big tin
• Cold water 3/4 by the big condensed milk empty can
• Sugar 8 Oz
• Dates Sugar coated - Chopped       8 Oz
• Cashew nuts (Chopped) 8 Oz
• Semolina slightly roasted in butter   8 Oz
• Self-rising Flour      8 Oz
• Vanilla 2 teaspoon
• Bicarbonate of Soda ½ teaspoons
• Fruits 24 Oz (Candied Peel, Cherries, Mixed Fruits (12 Oz)), (Raisins (4 Oz), Sultanas (8 Oz))
• Fruits are extra and are optional, can be omitted.

 METHOD:

• In a bowl add half cup of boiling water and add the bicarbonate of soda and mix. Add dates, fruits and Cashew nuts to this and let it soak for 24 hours.
• Next day,
• In a bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla together.
• Mix the condensed milk with cold water (as specified above - three fourths by large empty condensed milk can) and add this to this mixture and beat together.
• Add to this mixture little of the semolina and little of the soaked fruits alternatively and mix well until all this is exhausted.
• Bake this in a baking tray for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
• If you added fruits this will need more time to bake. 

BANANA BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup (115 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
• 1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 3 ripe large bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven rack to middle position.
•  Butter and flour (or spray with a non-stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. 
• Set aside. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. 
• Let cool and then chop coarsely.  In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. 
• Set aside. In a medium-sized bowl combines the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. 
• With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. 
• You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.) Scrape batter into prepared pan.
•  Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
•  Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread can be frozen. 

CHOCOLATE CUP CAKES

INGREDIENTS:

• All-purpose flour – 1 cup
• Baking powder – 1 tsp
• Cocoa powder – 1 tbsp
• Eggs - 2
• Butter – 1 cup
• Castor sugar – 1 cup
• Lemon essence – ½ tsp
• For the topping:
• Cashew pieces – 1 tbsp

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 200 C. Sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa together.
• Beat the eggs.  Cream the butter and sugar well.
• When the mixture is slight and creamy, add a little beaten egg and go on beating.
•  If the mixture curdles while adding the eggs, add a little flour before adding the egg. 
• Finally fold in the flour and a little milk to get dropping consistency. 
• Add the lemon essence and mix well.
• Spoon in the mixture up to three fourths in tiny paper cups.
• Sprinkle the cashew pieces on top of the mixture and bake for 20 minutes at 200 C. 

SPICES

                 POINT PEDRO VADAI

INGREDIENTS:

• Urdu dhal skinned and split1 cup
• Roasted rice flour 1 cup
• Dried chilies 10
• Onions 1 medium
• Bicarbonate of soda pinch
• Fennel seeds ½ teaspoons
• Turmeric powder ½ teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves 10
• Oil for frying

METHOD:

• Soak Urdu dhal for about 6 hours, wash, drain and dry without water.
• Grind onion, chilies and salt, separately. It is better to soak dry chillies in water prior to grinding.
• Mix rice flour, Urdu dhal, chili onion paste, turmeric powder, bicarbonate of soda, chopped curry leaves, fennel seeds and add boiling water and mix to thick dough.
• Check salt and if necessary add more.
• On a piece of tin foil smear oil and place a small amount of mixture and flatten to a thin disc and deep fry in hot oil until crisp.

URAD DAL VADAI/ULUNTHU VADAI

INGREDIENTS:

• Black gram dhal 1 cup
• Onion 1 medium
• Green chilies 3
• Fennel seeds ½ teaspoons
• Curry leaves 8
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

METHOD:

• Soak black gram dhal in water for three to four hours, wash and remove the husk if present.
• It is much easier to use the clean or husked gram.
• Drain and grind to a paste. Do not add water.
• Leave about one table spoon full of gram without grinding - this gives a different taste when bitten.
• Dice the onion, cut green chilies to small pieces.
• Fry fennel seeds, the onions, curry leaves and chilies gently in little oil before adding to the paste.
• Add salt and mix well. In some homes onions and green chilies are not fried, they just add them fresh.
• Heat oil in a pan and when ready place a ball of dough on to a tin foil paper moistened with water, and flatten and make a round hole in the middle to a shape of a doughnut.
• Gently lift it off the foil and drop it into the hot oil and fry until golden, turning to cook on both sides evenly.
• Add 2 tablespoons of soaked cooked rice ground to a paste,  to the vadai mixture before frying and this gives a softer vadai.

CURD VADAI/THAYIR VADAI

VARIATION:

• Beat 4 cups of curd or yogurt and add about ½ teaspoon of chilly powder, salt and mix.
• When vadai is have been made, squeeze each with kitchen tissue to remove excess water and oil.
• Place these vadai is in a bowl and pour the yogurt over until the vadai is are fully covered and set aside for about half hour.
• In a little oil fry some mustard seed s until they pop and add ¼ teaspoon asafoetida and chopped curry leaves and add this mixture to the curd vadai is before serving.

SPINACH VADAI/KEERAI VADAI 

 INGREDIENTS:

• In addition to above for Black gram vadai,
• Spinach leaves - tender 1 cup
• Ginger 1 inch piece

METHOD:

• Chop the spinach leaves finely and chop ginger finely and add these to the fried onion and green chilies and fry further the leaves are cooked.
• Add this to the ground gram paste and mix well. 
• As before, make doughnut shaped dough and fry in oil until it turns golden.

KADALAI VADAI

INGREDIENTS:

• Gram dhal split 1 cup
• Green chilies 3
• Chili powder 1 teaspoon
• Dry chilies 3 optional
• Onions 1 medium
• Fennel seeds 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves 6
• Turmeric powder ½ teaspoons
• Baking powder 1 pinch
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

METHOD:

• Soak gram dhal for 2 hours in water, drain and grind to a coarse paste.
• Cut green chilies and dry chilies into small pieces.
• Dice the onion. Fry fennel seeds until brown and add diced onion and fry until brown. Add the curry leaves and green chilies and fry further until soft.
• Drain well and add this to the ground gram paste, turmeric powder, salt and mix well with hand.
• Adding the baking powder to this mix will make this crispier.
• If you like it hotter then adds chopped dry chilies to the mix.
•  Take lemon sized mixture and make into balls and slightly flatten it on a tin foil paper to look like a flying saucer. Deep fry in boiling oil until both sides have turned golden brown. Drain and Remove.

PAGODA

PAGODA:

• Ingredients and method to make the gram mixture is as for gram vadai.
• Take some paste in your hand and gently squeeze through your fingers in the form of small irregular pieces directly into the hot oil and fry until they turn golden and crispy.
• Drain and remove.

MUTTON/LAMB CUTLET

INGREDIENTS:

• Minced mutton or lamb 200 g - very lean meat is preferred
• Potato 100 Grams
• Eggs 3
• Onions 2 medium
• Green chilies 4
• Black pepper coarse powder 3 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Breadcrumbs
• Oil for frying

 METHOD:

• Wash and peel the potato and cut into pieces. Boil them in water, drain and mash finely.
• In a hot pan add one tablespoon of oil, fry diced onions until they turn golden brown.
•  Add minced mutton, salt, chopped green chilies stir, cover and cook on low fire.
• While this is cooking, separate the egg yolk from the white and save both.
• When meat is cooked, add the pepper powder to your taste and mix and let it cook for two more minutes constantly stirring.
• Add the yolk of the eggs and stir the mixture further until the egg yolk has been cooked.
• Taste the meat and adjust the salt and pepper and make sure all the liquid has been absorbed.
• Reduce the heat and add the mashed potato and mix well to form a big ball.
• Let it cool.
• Beat the white of the eggs until it froths.
• Make lime sized balls from the meat mixture and compress firmly, soak it in the white of the egg and coat with bread cramps.

RAVAI PONGAL

INGREDIENTS:

•  Rava - 1 cup
• Moong dal - 1/2 cup
• Green chilli -1
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Whole black pepper - 1tsp
• Ginger pieces - 10
• Curry leaves - a twig
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 6 tsp
• Ghee - 2tsp

METHOD:

•  Add 1 cup of water to 1/2 cup Moong dal and boil it in the pressure cooker until it becomes very soft.
•  Roast Rava in 4 tsps of oil.
•  Add two cups of boiling water and stir until the rava is fully cooked.
•  Mash the cooked Moong dal and add it to the rava.
•  Add salt and mix well.
•  In 2 tsp of oil roast pepper .
•  Add turmeric powder and asafoetida.
•  After this add cumin seeds, cashews and Roast.
•  cashews should not become too red.
• Add the finely chopped chillis and ginger pieces to the mix.
•  Add the mix to the pongal and mix well.
•  Add 2 tsp of melted ghee to the pongal.

VERMICELLI UPMA

INGREDIENTS:

• Vermicelli - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Channa dal - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilies - 2
• Oil - 5 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - a bunch

 METHOD:

• Roast vermicelli in ghee/oil for 2 min until it becomes slightly white in color.
• Heat oil, add mustard seeds.
• When it pops, add red chilies, urud dal, gram dal and asafoetida.
• Add curry leaves and finely chopped onions.
• Add the roasted vermicelli .
• Now add 2 cups water and leave it covered in low heat.
• Stir occasionally and cook until it becomes soft.
• Roast cashews in little ghee and add it to the upma.
• Serve hot

VEGETABLE RAVAI UPMA

INGREDIENTS:

•  Vegetables - onions, carrot, peas, potatoes, bell pepper,
• beans, and cauliflower washed and chopped
• Ravai 2 cup
• Green Chilies 3
• Ginger a small piece
• Hing a small pinch
• Curry leaves a few washed
• Ghee 1 t-spoon
• Cooking oil 3 t-spoons
• Mustard 1/4 t-spoon
• Urad dhal 1/2 t-spoon
• Channa dhal 1/2 t-spoon
• Salt 3/4 t-spoon

 METHOD:

•  Dry roast ravai in a pan for a 5 minutes and keep it aside.
• Boil all the vegetables with 1/2 t-spoon salt.
• Boil 3 1/2 cups of water.
• Fry mustard, Urad dhall, channa dhall, hing, green chilies, ginger, and curry leaves in oil.
• Add the boiling water to the above, and let it boil.
• Now add vegetables, salt, ghee, and 1 t-spoon cooking oil.
• After a few minutes add the roasted ravai, and stir it continuously until the rava gets cooked (approx.
• 5-10 minutes).

KULI PANIYAARAM

INGREDIENTS:

• Finely chopped Onion -1 medium onion
• Finely chopped Green Chilies - 4
• Finely chopped Curry and Coriander Leaves - 1 1/2tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 3/4tsp
• Urad dhal - 1tsp

 METHOD:

• Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and allow it to crackle
• Then add the chillies and onions and sauté for a few minutes.
•  Add this sautéed mixture to the idli batter and mix well.
• Heat the Kuli Paniyaram Chatti and add little oil in each hole and pour 1 spoon
• Of batter in each hole.
• Cook them on both the sides.

FRIED GRAM CHUTNEY:

• Fried Gram - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 4-5
• Garlic - 3-4 pods
• Tamarind - a small grape sized
• Salt - To taste
•  

FOR TADAKA:

• Oil- 1tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4tsp
• Curry leaves - 5-6leaves
• Urad dal - 1/4tsp
• Hing - a pinch

METHOD:

• Grind together all the ingredients for the chutney to a smooth paste along with the salt.
• Do the tadaka and add it to the chutney.

SWEETS

FUSION BURFI

INGREDIENTS:

• Grated khoa (without sugar) - 3 cups
• Powdered sugar - 1 cup
• Dark chocolate - 100+100gms
• Chopped walnuts/almonds - ½ cup

METHOD:

•  Cook grated mava+powdered sugar in a kadai on a low flame, till it starts leaving the pan.
•  Remove & cool.
• Divide into 2 parts.
•  To one part add 100 grams melted chocolate (cooled) + chooped nuts.
•  Leave the other part white.
•  In a greased square tin, pour the chocolate mixed khoa & above that, the white khoa part.
•  Once it sets, cut into squares
•  Dip the white t top part in melted & cooled chocolate.
•  Decorate with walnuts/slivered almonds..

MILK CAKE

                    

INGREDIENTS:

• Mix together:
• Milk - 500 ml
• Milk powder - ½ cup
• Sugar - ½ cup
• Ghee - ½ cup minus 1 tbsp
• Alum, grounded - a very tiny pinch – half of 1/8 tsp
• Almonds (Chopped)
• Pistachio (Chopped)
• Cashew (Chopped)

METHOD:

•  Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture
•  Then Boil the mixture in a heavy pan, stir repeatedly.
•  When the mixture starts parting ghee.
•  Take the Vessel and grease it.
•  Then add the chopped nuts.
•  Then pour the mixture in.
•   Leave it to cool fully in room temperature.
•   Invert on a plate.
•   If you want you can add some nuts on of it.

                           MICROWAVE DOODH PEDA   

 INGREDIENTS:

• Condensed Milk - 1 tin (400 gms)
• Milk powder - 1 cup
• Melted butter - 2 tbsp
• Saffron - a pinch (warm & powder)
• Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

 METHOD:

• Take a big Microwave cooking pot.
• Add the Milk powder, Condensed Milk and Butter.
• Put the Microwave in High for 3 Minutes.
• Stir the mixture after every minute.
• Remove the mixture from the Microwave after 3 minutes.
• Then add cardamom powder and saffron
• Then Put the Mixture in the Microwave for another 2 minutes.
• Remove it & cool it

NOTE: DO NOT OVER COOK THIS MIXTURE! IF YOU OVER COOK IT THE PEDAS WON’T BE SOFT.

                          

                                   WHEAT HALWA

INGREDIENTS:

• Wheat Berries/Whole Wheat – 1 Cup
• Sugar – 2 Cups [ I used 1.5 cups]
• Water – 1/2 cup – 1/4 cup
• Ghee – 3/4 Cup
• Cardamom Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Food colour  – a pinch ( I used mix of orange and red)
• Cashew Nuts-1/4 cups

METHOD:

• Clean, rinse and soak wheat berries with enough water for minimum of 8 hours or for 24hours.  I soaked for around 15 hours.
• Rinse again soaked wheat and grind in grinder/mixer or blender with water until it become coarse paste white in colour.  Use a sieve to filter and extract milk in a bowl.  Repeat the step again, grind the remaining fibrous wheat with water and extract milk, discard the remaining wheat. 
• Cover the bowl and let it ferment overnight. 
• In a heavy bottom pan (pressure cooker works best here) add water and sugar, cook on medium flame and prepare 1 thread consistency sugar syrup.  Add food colour and mix well.
•  To check sugar syrup consistency, after sugar dissolves in water and starts to boil keep stirring the mix.  Dip hand in a bowl of water, then touch the sugar syrup with index finger (careful not to get burn as it will be very hot).  Press index and thumb finger together and slowly move the fingers apart you can see a string forming between fingers this means our sugar syrup is ready. If not, let syrup cook for a minute more and do the checking process again. 
•  Once sugar syrup is ready reduce flame to slow and add extracted milk slowly and keep stirring.  This is the important part we can’t stop the stirring process.  Once it thicken slightly, add cardamom powder and 1 tbsp of ghee and keep stirring.
•  After each minute of stirring add 1 tbsp of ghee and stir again repeat this until you use 3/4 cup to 1 cup of ghee each time adding only 1 tbsp of ghee.  After around 20-25 minutes the halwa will be glossy, forms a mass and doesn’t stick to pan anymore then it’s done.  Add cashew and stir again well. 

                  PINEAPPLE RASAMALAI

INGREDIENTS:

Tinned pineapple can be used

• Use any bread – white, brown or multigrain.
• Cut uniform thin rounds.
• Keep Milk – ½ cup ready, to dip them

 Filling:

Mix together:

• Finely chopped pineapple - 2 tbsp
• Soft paneer, grated - 3 tbsp\
• Powdered sugar - 1 tbsp

For Instant Rabdi:

Mix thoroughly:

• Milk, condensed milk & cream - each ½ cup
• Pineapple crush - 5 tbsp

METHOD:

• Dip each bread round in cold milk & keep on a plate.
•  Place some filling.
•  Sandwich with another milk-dipped bread round.
•  Pour the rabdi over & garnish.
•  Serve chilled.
•  The more time it soaks, the better it tastes.

PALMYRA JAGGERY/VATTILAPPAM

INGREDIENTS:

•   Coconut milk 3 cups
•   Palmyra Jiggery 500g
•   Eggs large 8
•  Cinnamon ¼ teaspoons
•  Nutmeg grated ¼ teaspoons
• Cashew nuts 20

METHOD:

•  In a liquidiser, break the eggs and beat them until it froths.
• Add milk and jiggery and mix well,.
• Add the nutmeg powder and cinnamon powder and mix again.
• Pour this mixture into either a large dish or small serving dishes and place cut cashew nuts pieces on top of the fluid.
• Then steam in a steamer till this becomes firmer.
• Else cook in an oven - cover the dish with foil paper and place the dish in a baking tray filled with water and bake this in an oven till it gets firm.

STRAWBERRY PAAYASAM

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small box of Strawberries (about 20 strawberries)
• 1 can of condensed milk
• 5 cups of milk
• 1 tsp of freshly ground cardamom

METHOD:

• Wash the strawberries well and dry them slightly with a paper towel
• Add 1 cup of cold milk to the berries and blend well in a mixer
• Remove from blender and set in the fridge
• Open 1 can of condensed milk and pour its contents into a deep pan – add the other 4
• cups of milk to it and stir it in. Allow it to boil like paayasum.
• Grind cardamom seeds in your pestle and add to the milk
• Refrigerate this as well
• Once they are cool, mix together and serve cold

NOTE: IF YOU WANT YOU CAN ADD SEMIYA OR SAGO WITH THIS.


                         
             PANANGAI PANIYAARAM

INGREDIENTS:

• Plain Flour 3 cups
• Palmyra Fruit Pulp (Thick) 1 ½ cup
• Sugar 1 ½ cup
• Coconut milk ½ cup
• Baking powder ½ teaspoons
• Salt to taste
• Oil

METHOD:

• First steam the plain flour, allow it to cool. Crush and sieve.
• Strain the Palmyra pulp to remove any fibbers.
• In a large vessel, mix the flour, Palmyra pulp, salt, coconut milk and baking powder into a mixture of fairly thick consistency. The mixture should drop off a spoon without sticking.
• In a frying pan heat the oil and when hot drop spoonful of barter and deep fry until golden.
• You can drop many balls at a time.
• Drain into an absorbent paper in a dish.

                           

                                                   

    SUSIYAM                  

   INGREDIENTS:

• Gram dhal 1 ½ cup
• Coconut grated 1 ½ cup
• Jaggery 1 ½ cup
• Cardamom powder ½ teaspoons
•  Plain flour 3 cups
• Coconut milk 3 cups
•  Baking powder 2 pinches
•  Salt to taste

 METHOD:

• Powder the jaggery or scrape it to form a powder.
• Boil the gram dhal in water until soft.
• Drain the water and add coconut, jaggery powder and cardamom powder.
• Mix well and cook until all the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is dry.
• Grind this mixture and make lime sized balls. Set aside.
• Mix the plain flour, coconut milk, baking powder and salt to make the batter which should not be too runny and not too thick.
• Dip gram balls in this batter.
• Remove and deep fry in hot oil. 

  
MOONG DHAL/PAYATHAM PANIYARAM

INGREDIENTS:

• Moong dhal (Green gram) split and skinned 2 cups
• Roasted rice flour ½ cup
• Scrapped Coconut 2 cups
• Sugar 1 cup
• Pepper powder ¼ teaspoons
• Cumin powder ½ teaspoon
• Turmeric powder ¼ teaspoon
• Cardamom powder ½ teaspoons
• Water as necessary
• Ground White rice flour 1½ cups,
• Water
• Salt
• Oil for frying

METHOD:

• Dry roast the coconut until golden brown and grind to a powder. 
• Dry roast moong dhal well and grind to powder and sieve.
• Grind sugar to powder. 
• In a wide mouthed bowl, put the moong dhal powder, rice flour, coconut, cardamom powder sugar, cumin powder and pepper powder and mix well. 
• Add boiling water and mix the flour mix to a consistency of pittu flour - do not add too much water and the mixture should be bit powdery and should not any lumps. 
• Make into big marble sized firm balls and set aside. Mix the white rice flour, turmeric powder, salt with water well without any lumps to make the batter. 
• The batter should not be very runny. 
• Soak the flour balls in this batter mixture and fry until golden.
• Drain and remove and let it cool before storing.          

KOLUKATTAI AND MOTHAKAM

 INGREDIENTS:

• Roasted red rice flour 2 cups
• Green gram dhal 1 cup skinned and cleaned
• jaggery 200 Grams
• Cardamom powder ½ teaspoons
• Coconut scrapped 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Water

 METHOD:

• Dry roast the green gram and boil this in water, until it becomes soft.  
• Drain well and let it cool.  
• Powder or scrape the jaggery. 
• Mix the cooked green gram, jiggery, coconut, cardamom powder and salt together to form a homogeneous mixture.
• To the rice flour, add salt and mix with boiling water into dough using just enough water. 
• The dough should be soft and pliable but not watery.
• With lime sized dough in the hands, flatten to a round disc and make it into a cup shape.
• Take care not to make it thin anywhere. 
• It should be the same thickness everywhere. In the middle, place a spoonful of the dhal mixture, cover and press the edges of the dough disc together to seal firmly to form a semi lunar shape. 
• Press with a fork to get a serrated edge.
•  Steam these few at a time carefully. These might tend to break up if the dough cups are not thick enough.
•  To make Mothakam, the edges of the flattened dough should be gathered together to form a small cone at the top to take the form of a small ball. 
• Steam this in the same way as for Kolukattai.

SEMOLINA LADDU/RAVAI LADDU

INGREDIENTS:

• Semolina (Ravai) 450 Grams
• Sugar 200 Grams
• Butter 100 Grams or ghee
• Milk ½ cup
• Vanilla ¼ teaspoons or cardamom powder 1 pinch
• Cashew nut 20 nuts
• Plums 1 tablespoon

 METHOD:

• Chop and fry Cashew nuts and plums in a pan with little melted butter or ghee and set aside.
• Roast semolina in butter or ghee, add sugar and continue roasting until it turns golden.
• Add milk, vanilla, Cashew nuts and plums and mix well and remove from fire.
• The mixture should be powdery and not sticky.
• When the heat is bearable, make small lime size firm balls from this mixture.

PAAYAASAM

INGREDIENTS:

• Sago 1 cup
• Vermicelli ¼ cups
• Cashew nuts 100 Grams
• Sultanas 100 Grams
• Ghee 1tsp
• Saffron ½ teaspoons
• Sugar 2 tablespoons
• Condensed milk ½ cups
• Cardamom pods 3
• Water

 METHOD:

• Break the cardamom pods and remove seeds and grind to a fine powder. Heat ghee in a pan and gently roast cashew nuts and sultanas and set aside. 
• In a bowl boil 3 cups of water and dissolve the saffron. Add sago to this water and cook until it becomes transparent, keeping it stirred to avoid lumps.
•  If it becomes too thick add boiling water and stir. 
• When done add the vermicelli and cook until this is soft. 
• The mixture will tend to thicken and if required add little more boiling water.
• The correct consistency would be the Payasam should be thick and run off the spoon easily but not liquid.  
• Add the condensed milk and sugar and stir until well mixed and cooked. 
• Add cardamom powder, Cashew nuts and sultanas and stir well.
•  Remove from fire and serve hot. If you allow this to cool it will become firm. If consumed cold is also delicious.
•  If you replace cardamom seeds with pineapple flavoring it gives a different taste.
• Some people use milk instead of condensed milk.

PAADAM HALVA  

INGREDIENTS:

• Almonds 250 Grams
• Milk 2 cups
• Sugar 500 Grams
• Ghee 1 cup
• Cardamom powder 1 teaspoon
• Kasseri powder 2-3 pinches else powdered saffron would do.

 METHOD:

• Soak almond seeds in hot water, remove skin and grind into a paste.
• In a pan on low heat add milk and sugar and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.
• Add the almond paste to this sugar syrup and stir.
• As you stir, add kasseri powder and cardamom powder and keep stirring.
• When this starts to roll in into a ball remove from fire.
• Apply ghee or butter onto a flat plate or tray and pour this mixture and spread evenly.
• Cut into small pieces to any shape you like.

BOONTHY LADDU

INGREDIENTS:

• Gram flour - 2 cups
• Sugar 1 cups
• Kasseri powder 1 pinch
• Coloring - Yellow
• Cashew nuts 15 nuts
• Plums 1 tablespoon
• Cardamom powder 1 pinch
• Water

 METHOD:

• Cut Cashew nuts into small pieces and dry roast this until golden.
• To make Boonthy, add to the gram flour, kasseri powder, water and mix to a thick runny mix - make sure there are no lumps.
• Pour this mixture through a spoon with holes (draining spoon) directly into boiling oil in a pan and fry.
• Do not let it become crispy. 
• Set aside.
• Make sugar syrup, add coloring, roasted Cadju, plums, cardamom powder and Boonthy and stir well to form a well-blended mixture.
• When able to handle the heat, make firm lime sized balls with hands.

BREAD JAMUN

INGREDIENTS:

• Bread Slices - 10
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Cardamom powder - 2 pinches
• Water
• Oil to deep fry.

 METHOD:

• Remove the brown edges of the bread slices.
• Place the slices in a deep vessel and pour water over.
• Immediately take them out and give them a hard squeeze to remove all water.
• Knead the bread mush to soft and firm dough.
• Meanwhile take the sugar in a vessel and add water till the sugar is immersed.
• Mix well before lighting the stove.
• Boil the sugar syrup till you get a sticky consistency. 
• While boiling add cardamom powder.

AKKARAVADISAL/AKKARA ADISIL

INGREDIENTS:

• Basmati Rice-1/2 cup
• Whole Milk-4 cups
• Jaggery-3/4 – 1 cup
• Cardamom Powder- 1/2 tsp.
• Edible Camphor-1 pinch
• Almonds-7 – 10
• Cashew nuts-7 – 10
• Ghee-3 tbsp.

 METHOD:

• Wash and soak basmati rice for I hour. In a wide vessel or a preferably a kadai bring milk to boiling hot. Add the soaked basmati rice and stir well.
• Keep the flame in medium and keep stirring it for the first 5 – 10 mints as it might boil over.
•  Simmer and let the rice cook in the milk.
• Keep cleaning the edges of the vessel by running a wooden spatula as the milk reduces.
•  The rice should be cooked well.
• All the milk should be absorbed by the rice. You should be able to mash the rice between your fingers if you press gently.
•  In another stove place the Jaggery in a vessel and add little water say, less than 1/4 cup.
• Bring it to a boil and let the Jaggery dissolve completely.
• Pass it through a sieve after giving a standing time of 5 mints for the impurities to settle.
• Add the filtered Jaggery water to the cooked rice and cook over medium flame stirring it to avoid burning. Add cardamom powder and edible camphor / pachai karpooram.
• I actually made fresh ghee by melting the butter in another stove. First add the chopped almonds to the ghee and roast well and then add broken cashew nuts and add this to the cooking rice.
•   Cook for another 5 – 10 mints and you can see it coming together. It should be a semi solid mass, so doesn’t over cook it? Akkaravadisal is ready to be served steaming hot.

AVAL PAYASAM

INGREDIENTS:

• Aval/ Beaten Rice / Rice flakes – 1 cup
• Milk – 2 cups
• Condensed milk – ¼ cup
• Sugar – 1 ½ cup
• Cardamom – 1
• Cashew nuts (broken) – 1 tbsp
• Ghee – 1 tbsp

 METHOD:

• Roast the cashew nuts in 1 tsp of ghee in a kadai.
• Keep it aside. In the remaining roast the aval over medium flame till it changes to light brown.
• Cool and keep 2 tbsp aside.
• Powder the remaining aval coarsely in a mixer.
• In a vessel heat 1 cup of milk and bring it to a boil.
• Add the powdered aval and roasted whole aval that you have kept aside and cook for 2 minutes. You can see that the aval has absorbed most of the milk.
• Now add the sugar, remaining milk, condensed milk, cardamom, roasted cashew and bring to a boil. Kheer is ready.
• As Aval is a very thirsty fellow it absorbs all the liquid when kept for longer time.
• So serve it hot and immediately.

SWEET MUFFIN

INGREDIENTS:

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• All purpose flour – 1 ½ cup
• Sugar – ½ cup
• Baking powder – 1 ½ tsp
• Cooking soda – ½ tsp
• Salt – ½ tsp
• Wet Ingredients:
• Butter milk – ½ cup
• Eggs – 1
• Vegetable oil – ¼ cup

 METHOD:

•  Preheat the oven @ 200 C degrees.
• Take all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix them with a fork to aerate them properly.
• Now add all the wet ingredients to it and mix well.
• The mixture might appear a bit lumpy.
• Spoon the batter in muffin cups up-to 2/3 full and bake @ 200 C degrees for 15-20 minutes.
• You can make 12 muffins out of this batter. This can be baked as a cake too.

RAVAI KASSERI

INGREDIENTS:

• Rava / Sooji / Cream of wheat – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 ½ cup
• Milk – 1 cup
• Ghee – ¾ cup
• Water – 1 cup
• Cashew nuts – 1 tbsp
• Salt – 1 pinch
• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
• Kesari or Orange food color – 2 pinches

METHOD:

• In a little ghee roast the cashew nuts to golden brown and keep aside.
• In a heavy bottomed kadai pour the ghee and melt it.
• Once it melts, put the rava into it and fry it well till the raw smell disappears.
• Take care that the rava does not change color.
• In another stove boil the milk.
• Pour the hot milk into the kadai.
• Mix well. And keep aside.
• In another vessel heat the water and add sugar to it.
• Cook till the sugar dissolves completely.
• Now add the cardamom powder, food color and a pinch of salt.
• See to that this vessel fits into the cooker.
• Now to this sugar water add the rava and milk mixture and mix it well.
• Place this vessel in the cooker and on a high flame cook for 1 whistle sound.
• After the pressure gets released, take the vessel out and add the roasted cashews and mix well.
• Serve hot.
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