UPPITU/UPMA

I know, normally people show faces when breakfast will be UPMA at home. Even upma could be tasty, depends on how you make it. we can make Uppitu in different ways. Here it is with grated cocnut.

Ingredients:

Rava (either bansi rava or white suji rava). secret of tasty upma is frying rava in a low flame till rava turns little brown.

Once rava is fried well you can store it for a month.

For 3 servings

200 gms of rava fried

Chana dal 1 tablespoon.

Mustard 2 tea spoons.

Cumin seeds 2 table spoons.

Grated cocnut 4/5 table spoons.

Ginger 1/2 table spoon finely chopped.

Green chillies 2 nos cut into small.

Coriander leaves chopped 2 table spoons.

Jeera and pepper powder 1 -2 tea spoons.

Asafoetida pinch.

Oil 2 table spoons.

Salt to taste/ water as per measurement.

for 1 cup rava 2 cups water.

Make it this way:

Take a vessal, add oil, mustard/ after it cracks, add cumin seeds,

Next add chana dal, saute till it turns little brown, add asafoetida, green chilles, curry leaves,

ginger and leave it for a minute.

Add water to it and let it boil, while boiling add jeera pepper powder(this is made in 2:1 propotion) (Jeera 2 and pepper 1 fired and powdered) later add rava and saute it well till it is done.

Finally add coriander leaves and grated cocnut and serve hot.

PONGAL

Ingredients:

For three servings/ Moong dal-1cup, Rice half cup, peppercorns 10, curry leaves few, Mustard seeds 1 table spoon, cumin seeds 2 tablespoons, ginger paste 1 table spoon, turmeric powder 1 teaspoon, green chillies as required,. Salt to taste, Oil or ghee for tadka.

For garnishing: Cashew nuts (make small pieces)fry it in ghee.

Make it this way:

Fry moong dal for a min and pressure cook it adding rice to it. Add turmeric and few pepper corns.

Or you can cook directly, even though it takes long time it tastes good.

Take a vessel, add ghee, add mustard after it cracks, add jeera, ginger paste, later add green chillies, curry leaves. Saute it well. mix this with cooked dal. Add salt saute and leave for 5 min.

Finally add fried cashews and serve hot.

Tamarind pulp with jaggery is best combination and also curds with cucumber, onion, and tomato.

Sweet pongal

From long time wanted to post this one.  got time today to post it.........

All u need is:

1 cup moong dal/ 1/2 cup rice/ 1 cup jaggery(melt it and filter it and keep it aside)

cardamom 1 tea spoon, cashew nuts broken into small pieces about 2 table spoons, and grapes dry  2 table spoons.  poppy seeds 1/2 table spoon, coconut milk about a cup, 2 table spoons coconut to grind  with poppy seeds. Milk is optional if required u can skip coconut milk and milk. Kesar to garnish. Ghee to fry cashews about 1/2 table spoon.

Make it this way:

Cook moong dal and rice directly or pressure cook.

add jaggery melted and saute it.

add cardamom powder, add poppy seeds grounded with coconut to this and leave it for 5 min, add  coconut milk and finally add fried cashews and dry grapes.Garnish with kesar and serve hot.

Herekai Chutney (Ridge gourd)

We always skin of so many vegetables, I never wanted to use it, recently happened to visit my brothers house for lunch and his mother in law who is from Mangalore made chutney from Ridge Gourd and it tasted superb. I tried it at home and here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
Herekai (ridge gourd) pealed skin.
Chana dal 1 table spoon.
Urad dal 1 table spoon.
Little tamarind or 1/4 table spoon tamarind powder.
Green or red chillies according to spice required.
Jaggery (optional)
Pinch of asafoetida.
Salt to taste.

Make it this way:
Wash herekai skin and fry little bit in a low flame.
Fry chana dal and urad dal in a low flame.
Add all the ingredients and grind it to paste.
one whole Ridge gourd skin serves 3-4 people.
Good with roties and chapathies.

Vegetable Pulao with soya chunks

Ingredients:

1. 3 cups of basmathi rice serves for 4 to 5

2. Pudina leaves (mint leaves): 1 cup finely chopped.

3. Coriander leaves: ½ cup finely chopped.

4. Coconut grated : ¼ cup

5. Green or red chillies according to the spice needed.

6.       Ginger  ¼ inch.

7.       2 garlic cloves.

8.       Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, kalluvu, ananas flower,  all  1  spoon. (if you increase servings add accordingly)

9.       1 small tomato chopped.

10.   2 table spoons of ghee for frying.

11.    1 small onion, chopped.

12.   Tej patta 2-3.

13.   3-4 types of vegetables.

14.   Water and salt to taste.

How to make it:

1.       Soak rice for 10 min in water. Drain it and keep it aside.

2.       Grind  all the ingredients as in no  2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. And 9. In the above row.

3.       Take a cooker and add ghee , add onion, saute it till it turns golden brown.

4.       Add tej patta.

5.       Add the grounded paste to it. Saute and leave for 5 min.

6.       Add rice and vegetables. Saute it.

7.       Add salt and saute .

8.       Add 2 measures of water for 1 measure of rice.

9.       Pressure cook . Switch of for three whistles.

10.   Serve hot with curd raita.

All you need is: Ripe banana 2-3, papaya small, grated coconut 1/2 cup, jaggery- 1/2 cup (powdered), cardamom powder 1 teaspoon,

Almond powder 2 table spoons.

Cut fruits in nay shape and mix the jaggery with the fruits and add cardamom powder, almond powder, and grated coconut,

any guest in the evenings with snacks this will be good.

Shankrathi Special Yellu-Bella

Shankranthi

In south India Shankranthi , Festival of Harvest.  Makar Sankranti is a major

harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India. In their own traditions.

Makar Sankranti, apart from a harvest festival is also regarded as the beginning of an auspicious phase in Indian culture. It is said as the 'holy phase of transition'. It marks the end of an inauspicious phase which according to the Hindu calendar begins around mid-December. It is believed that any auspicious and sacred ritual can be sanctified in any Hindu family, this day onwards. Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights. In other words, Sankranti marks the termination of winter season and beginning of a new harvest or spring season.

There is a story also behind this festival.

We celebrate this festival with distributing sesame with groundnuts, fried grams, dry coconut, jaggery cut into small pieces and distribute, with this we give sugar cane piece and banana with sugar dolls.

I would like to share how we make this yellu. Even though we mix other ingredients we give call it yellu (sesame).

Ingredients:

100 gms of groundnuts.

100 gms of fried grams.

125 gms of jaggery.

75 gms of  dry coconut.

250 gms of sesameseeds.

1.       Takeground nuts and fry in a low flame. Once it is turned brown, let it cool and take out the skin by rubbing with both hands.

2.       Cut Jaggery into small pieces with the help of jaggery cutter.

3.       Take dry coconut peel the skin which is black. Cut it into small pieces.

4.       My mother keeps jaggery and coconut in sun for a day,  after cutting into small pieces so that we can store it for few days.
5.       After all these take sesame seeds fry in a very low flame. Once it is little brown keep it aside.

6.       Mix ground nuts, fried gram, coconut pieces, Jaggery, and sesame and store it in a air tight container.