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Beetroot Jam

Beetroot is a naturally sweet veggie which can be easily used for making jam stuff.

Let us see how to prepare it.

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 3 Medium sized

Sugar - 1 cup (200 gm)

Preparation time: 30 mins

Method:

Peel the beetroot skin and pressure cook the beets to boil. You can boil either the whole beetroot or cut them into small pieces and then boil. Let it boil for 2 to 3 whistles in the cooker.

Once cooled, smash the beets in a mixie or chop them into fine pieces. I prefer smashing in a mixie.

Now, add the smashed beets and sugar in a pan and let it cook in medium flame for about 30 to 40 minutes. 

Frequently stir the mixture in the pan to avoid burning. The amount of sugar can be adjusted depending upon the likeness for sweet in the dish.

In around 40 minutes, the mixture gets the texture of jam. You can switch off the flame now.

Let it cool and it can be served along with bread or rotis.

The remaining can be refrigerated for future use.

Instant Mango Pickle

Mango Pickle is one of the mouthwatering Indian pickle and of course it's my all time favorite side dish. It goes good with curd rice and rice kanji and sometimes as a dip with Corn, Tortilla chips.

I got this recipe from one of my Malayalam friends. Lets see how to prepare a quick mango pickle.

Ingredients:

Green mango - 1 (medium sized)
Mustard seeds - 2.5 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 3 tsp
Curry Leaves - 2 to 3 strands
Salt - As needed
Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation time: 30 mins

Method:

Cut the mango into square pieces. Add salt to the cut mango pieces and set aside for about 30 minutes.

Mix 2 tsp of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds together and powder it. Its your choice to powder into a fine coarse or a medium textured mixture.I used a hand ural.

Now, heat oil in a pan and once the oil is heated, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the powdered mustard and fenugreek mix to the oil.  Then add chilli powder, curry leaves and salt required.

After 5 seconds, add the cut mango pieces into the pan and mix until all the masala gets mixed with the mango well.

Now the pickle is ready. Let it cool in the pan. Preserve the rest in fridge.

This can be taken with rice, chapathi, roti and lot more. Enjoy this easy and delicious pickle.

Idiyappam Recipe

Idiyappam is one of the most popular dish in South India. It can be even called as rice noodles. This food can be given to even small kids. It is digested so easily and also everyone love the soft texture of the food.

Let us see how to prepare idiyappam from the scratch.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice soaked in water - for atleast 3 hrs

You can use either idli rice or normal rice for soaking. The rice should be soaked completely as if we soak for preparing idli batter.

Servings: 3 Adults

Method:

Grind the soaked rice in grinder. Grind it to a fine and soft batter. It can be even watery, need not be very thick.

You can opt any one of the following 2 methods for making the loose batter into a idiyappam consistent solid batter.

Method 1:

Heat a flat base pan in medium flame. Once the pan is heated, pour the batter.

Gradually the batter loses its water and starts to solidify. You have to continuously stir the batter in the pan so that it creates lesser lumps.

While stirring you can sprinkle little oil to the pan. At one stage, the batter will not stick to the pan. At this stage, switch off the flame.

Allow it to cool a bit. When it is as warm as you can handle it, give some press to the batter with your hand. Now take the batter and place it in the idiyappam squeezer. Squeeze it and boil either in idli cooker or idli pan.

The remaining batter can be stored in refrigerator for future use. Try to finish the stored batter in maximum of 4 days.

Method 2:

Pour the loose batter (the one we grind it in the grinder. Its consistency should be like idli batter) in the idli cooker or idli pan and make idlis.

Since the idlis are prepared with only rice, they will not  be so soft.

Now place the hot idlis in the idiyappam squeezer and squeeze it in a plate. This can be directly consumed, because the batter is already boiled.

Here also, the remaining batter can be refrigerated.

Note: In both the methods, try to squeeze when the batter / idli is hot. When hot, it will be more soft to squeeze.
Idiyappam prepared using method 1 will be more softer than method 2. But method 1 gives you really a hard exercise for your arms.

Semiya Bhadh / Semiya Pulav

Semiya Pulav can be prepared as a easy dinner recipe. All you need is some veggies and vermicelli.

Here comes the recipe for the simple dish.

Ingredients:

Vermicelli - 1 and 1/2 cup
Onion large - 1 medium sized
Green Chillies - 3 to 4
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Salt - As needed
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Tomato sauce - 4 tsp

In the following items, you can add all the veggies or any veggies based on your choice or stock.

Beans - 4
Carrot - 1
Potato - 1
Cauliflower - 4 to 5 florets
Corn - 3 tsp
Green Peas (either fresh or frozen) - 3 tsp
Cabbage shredded - 3 to 4 tsp
Capsicum - 1/2
Pudina  / Mint leaves - 7 to 8
Corriander leaves - For Garnishing


Servings: 2 Adults
Preparation time: 30 Mins

Method:

If the vermicelli is roasted, you can readily use them. If not roasted, first roast the vermicelli in little oil until they turn pale brown.

In a flat base pan, add oil and sauté the onions until it becomes transparent. Now add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 mins.

Once its done, add the mint leaves and sauté. Then add all the vegetables and sauté them until they become tender. Once they become tender, add salt, little garam masala and sauté again until the raw smell goes off.

Now add water to the vegetables in the ratio of 1 : 2.5, i.e for one cup of vermicelli add 2.5 cups water, so that they will boil without burning at the bottom. Let the vegetables boil in water for 5 mins.

Now add the roasted vermicelli. Reduce the flame between sim and medium. Let the vermicelli boil in water for 5 to 10 minutes. Once its boiled, water will be absorbed and there will be very little water content.

At this point, add the tomato sauce and mix well gently. Make sure you are not smashing the boiled vegetables. Once the sauce is mixed, let it be in flame for another 3 mins.

Now Semiya Bhadh / Semiya Pulav is ready to be served. You can garnish with little coriander leaves.

Ravai paniyaram

Ravai paniyaram is a sweet dish prepared during Krishna Jeyanthi. Let us look at the recipe below.

Ingredients:

Rava - 1 and 1/2 cup.
Riped Banana -  1
Milk - 350 gm
Cardamom - 4 to 5
Grated Coconut - 3 tsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Salt - a pinch(optional)

Servings: 25 count
Preparation time: 1 hr
Cooking time: 40 mins

Method:

Soak rava in milk for 1 hr. Once it is soaked, rava will be so soft and sticky. The milk will be all absorbed by the rava.

After rava is soaked, mix together banana, cardamom, grated coconut, sugar and salt. Grind it to a fine paste in mixie. You can add a little water to grind, but not too much water.

After the mix is ready, heat the paniyaram pan in stove in medium flame.

Once the pan is heated, base the pan with little ghee. Pour 1 tsp of oil in the pan in each of the hollow base. Once the oil is heated, pour the batter in the hollow base of the pan.





Cover the pan with a lid for 5 mins so that the upper portion will boil evenly. In approximately 5 to 6 minutes, turn the batter other side using a fork or stick.

Allow both sides of the batter to heat properly so that it turns to golden brown.

Now ravai paniyaram is ready to be served.

Note: Be cautious in adding banana. If banana is more in the batter, the paniyaram will be soggy.
          Also, the paniyaram tastes very good when it is warm than very hot.

Kaara coconut chutney / kaara thengai thuvayal

This is a perfect side dish for any breakfast items like idly, dosa or any kanji items.

Ingredients:

Grated coconut - 1 cup
Dried red chilli - 2 to 3 (based on the liking for kaaram)
Garlic clove - 1(small)
Ginger - a small piece
Tamarind - a small ball of a gem size
curry leaves - 10 leaves (optional)
Salt - As required

Serves: 4 Adults
Preparation time: 5 mins

Method:

In the mixer or blender, add all the above ingredients and mix it until all the items are grinded properly.

You can check for the salt and add if necessary.

Since its a thuvayal, u need not season it. If you want to season this, you can do with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.