IYENGAR KALYANA GOTHSU RECIPE / KALYANA GOTHSU RECIPE

Kalyana Gothsu is a traditional, side dish for tiffin, served almost in all south indian marriages. Iyengar kalyana gothsu is popular for its unique taste, just as iyengar puliyodharai and pulikachal. It goes well with venn pongal, idli, dosa, uthappam and arisi upma. Not as thick as sambar and not too thin, kalyana gothsu is an excellent side dish and very simple to make.

INGREDIENTS:

Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Tamarind - half of the key lime size
Yellow pumpkin, brinjal, potato, carrot - 1 cup (chopped)
Tomato - 1
Sambar powder- 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp.
Karamudhu podi (mel podi) OR All purpose karamudhu podi - 1 tablespoon

Hing - 1/8 tsp.
Salt - to taste

To temper:
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp.
Green chilli -1
Dry red chilli -1
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

To garnish:
Coriander leaves - few

METHOD:

Chop vegetables to small pieces. Cook Moong dhal with turmeric until soft, mash and keep aside.
Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water and extract juice.

Heat a thick bottomed pan, temper with the given ingredients, add chopped vegetables, add little salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder and hing, mix well. Now add tamarind water, mashed moong dal and remaining salt and allow it to boil until the raw smell diffuses. Cook covered so that the vegetables are cooked well but not mushy. Add little water if necessary. Now add the mel podi (karamudhu podi) and allow it to boil again for 2 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve Kalyana gothsu with Vennpongal, idli, dosa, uthappam or Arisi upma.

Recipe links for Karamudhu podi:
Karamudhu podi
All purpose karamudhu podi

KATHAL BIRYANI RECIPE / RAW JACKFRUIT BIRYANI RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Chopped raw jackfruit (kathal) - 2 cups
• Cloves - 3
• Cardamom - 2
• Cinnamon - 2 sticks
• Bay leaf - 2
• Star anise - 1
• Stone flower - a pinch
• Mint leaves - ½ cup
• Grated ginger - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander leaves - to garnish
• Ghee - 1 tsp.
• Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Saffron - few strands 
• Warm milk - 1 tsp.

To marinate:

• Amchur powder - ¼ tsp.
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp.
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
• Cumin powder - ¼ tsp.
• Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp.
• Chilli powder - ¾ tsp.
• Curd - 3 tablespoons
• Salt - a generous pinch

METHOD:

• Wash and soak basmati rice for ½ an hour. Grate ginger. Soak saffron in a spoon of warm milk. Keep aside.
• Clean, wash and chop raw jackfruit (kathal) to big chunks. Marinate with the given ingredients for 10 minutes.
• In a pressure pan, heat oil and ghee, add the whole spices, mint leaves, grated ginger, saute for a minute. Add marinated raw jackfruit (kathal). Stir for a minute. Drain rice and add to it. Mix well.  Add salt as needed. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.When pressure has subsided, add soaked saffron, mix gently.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.  Serve hot with raitha or chips of your choice.

Spicy mixture

Diwali is not complete without making mixture. Here is an easy recipe of mixture which can be done in minutes. Even novice cooks can make this with ease.

INGREDIENTS:

Thick aval (poha) - 4 cups
Oma podi - 2 cups (crushed roughly)
Roasted peanuts - 2 tablespoons

Roasted gram (Pottukadalai) - 2 tablespoons
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Asafoetida - a generous pinch
Curry leaves - a sprig
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 1 tablespoon

Oil - to deep fry

METHOD:

Sieve aval without any sand. Heat oil in a kadai and make Oma podi as said here. Keep aside. In the same oil, deep fry aval. Aval puffs immediately. Fry little aval at a time. Remove aval and put it in a broad bowl. Add little salt and mix gently. Crush Oma podi slightly and add to the fried aval.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add peanuts and fry until golden. Again add a spoon of ghee and fry pottukadalai until crisp. Add curry leaves and roast a bit. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and hing. Give a quick saute and add these to the fried aval, omapodi mixture. Mix everything well but gently. Spicy and crispy mixture is ready. When cool, store in an airtight container.

NOTE:
Generally, peanuts and pottukadalai are also deep fried in oil. Using ghee enhances the flavour.

Mixed nuts burfi

INGREDIENTS:

Unsalted almonds, cashews, pista, walnuts - 3 cups
(I used the whole almonds with skin. Any combination of nuts can be used.)
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Ghee - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

METHOD:

Dry roast the nuts separately until slightly warm, be careful not to burn the nuts. Cool and dry grind to a coarse powder. Grease a tray and keep it ready.

In a kadai, dissolve sugar in water and make one string consistency syrup. Add nuts powder and mix well. When the mixture starts boiling, simmer the stove and stir continuously in low flame. Once it starts to thicken, add ghee and keep stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the kadai. Pour it into the greased tray. While still warm, cut into desired shape.

MYSORE PAK RECIPE / MYSORE PAK POROUS RECIPE

The traditional porous mysore pak is a melt-in-mouth sweet made during festivals, functions and marriages. When I was young, elders at home made these type of mysore pak only. Being in Coimbatore, I can still remember the days when Krishna sweets soft mysorepa (I mention it as mysorepa and not mysorepak) was introduced. Elders would say, "Mysorepagunna kara karannu vaaila potta karaiya vendamo? Ennamo po" i.e., Mysorepak is meant to be crunchy and melt in mouth instead of being soft. Krishna sweets mysorepa is known for its taste and easy making though. 

Traditional mysorepak is a challenge to make. It requires continuous attention. I generally post stepwise pictures only for most needed recipes, because I don't have any assistance and some recipes need timely click. This is one such recipe.  Unfortunately, there was no power and the weather was also very gloomy. I had to be really fast and I couldn't click the final busy seconds, as I was concentrating on the right texture. Still, I have clicked with available light and to my might for easy understanding. As I felt it would be helpful/useful to all if I wrote the minute details and tips, it really took long time to write this post than making mysore pak.😃

HAPPY DEEPAVALI ! 

INGREDIENTS:
Gram flour / Besan  - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 1/2 cups OR 
A mixture of Ghee - 1 cup  and oil -1/2 cup 
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Water - see method

METHOD:

Grease a tray with ghee and keep ready.

Sieve besan and keep it ready near the stove. (Some people dry roast besan). 

Take sugar in a thick bottomed kadai, add water, just to immerse the sugar and make sugar syrup for soft ball consistency. If you add a drop of syrup in a small plate of water, you should be able to roll it to a ball, without dissolving in the water or you can check the syrup with your index finger and thumb to get a thick, long one string consistency.  Meanwhile, melt ghee+oil mixture in another stove, in medium flame and keep it ready too. When you get the sugar syrup consistency, put the flour little by little in it, simultaneously add a ladle of hot melted ghee also and stir it non-stop without any lumps. 

NOTE: THE GHEE SHOULD BE REALLY HOT. Keep an eye so that it doesn't get burnt. A mixture of oil and ghee as mentioned in the ingredients, is safe and best to use as it prevents quick burning. It was really like multitasking. 😍

Each time when you pour the hot ghee mixture, the mixture hisses and frothes and you can see air bubbles. Pour the ladle of ghee in such a way that it spreads all over the mixture.These bubbles finally turn into beautiful pores and makes the mysore pak porous. This is the secret of porous mysorepak. 

Stir continuously in medium flame. Repeat the process until besan and ghee is finished. When the whole mixture becomes frothy, leaving the sides of the kadai (need not become a mass) switch off the flame and quickly transfer the mixture to a greased tray. Just tap the tray to get a uniform surface. (Do not press with a spatula to even the surface).  Wait just for a couple of minutes. When it is still hot, run a greased knife to get the desired shape. Allow it to cool and then take out the pieces.

Traditional, porous, crunchy mysore pak is ready. 😅😋

You can see the air bubbles in this picture.👇👇

OOSI THENKUZHAL MANOHARAM RECIPE / MANOHARAM RECIPE / MANOHARAM WITH OOSI THENKUZHAL

Manoharam is a South Indian sweet made during festivals and functions. Manoharam in Tamil means beautiful. There is a practice of giving manoharam paruppu thengai (cones) as seer during brahmin marriages and family functions. Usually it is done with thenkuzhal. My mom and grandma makes this with oosi thenkuzhal. I have posted oosi thenkuzhal recipe earlier. For a change I also made it with oosi thenkuzhal and the sweet will be an easy bite even for elders.

Click here for Manoharam made with regular thenkuzhal.

Click here for Oosi thenkuzhal recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Oosi thenkuzhal crushed -  5 cups
Crushed jaggery - 1 cup

Ghee - to grease hand

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp.

NOTE: There is no hard and fast measurement for jaggery syrup. Just add syrup to bind the thenkuzhals. Adding more will make this manoharam soggy because oosi thenkuzhal is very thin.

METHOD:

Crush oosi thenkuzhal into small pieces in a bowl and transfer to a wide plate. 

Crush and powder  jaggery. Dissolve in half a cup of water, strain without any dirt or mud.

Heat jaggery and make soft ball syrup out of the jaggery. Drop a little of jaggery syrup in a cup of water, and using your hand try making a soft ball. This is the perfect consistency for the jaggery syrup. Add cardamom powder. Mix well.

Add jaggery syrup to the crushed thenkuzhals. Mix well with a spatula. Grease your hands with ghee and make rough balls out of it.  When still warm and tighten and shape to even sized balls. 

Delicious Oosi thenkuzhal manoharam is ready.

7 CUP BURFI RECIPE / SEVEN CUP CAKE / 7 CUP CAKE RECIPE / EASY DIWALI RECIPES

This is an easy and delicious sweet made during festivals. Since 7 cups of ingredients are used to make this, the barfi is named 7 cup barfi / 7 cup cake. It tastes like traditional mysorepa (the one with pores), with an added flavor of cashews and coconut, when done crunchier. As I preferred it to be rustic in look, I made it crunchier. You can make it soft too. See the post for details. Even a novice cook can make this easy seven cup barfi. 

INGREDIENTS:

Gram flour/besan/kadalaimaavu - 1 cup
Cashew powder - 1/2 cup
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Ghee - 1 cup

METHOD:

Sieve besan. Dry grind cashewnuts coarsely. Grease a tray and keep ready.

Combine all dry ingredients in a heavy bottomed kadai and mix well. Add milk and ghee, mix well without any lumps.

Now, keep kadai on the stove and stir continuously in medium flame. When the mixture starts to boil, reduce the flame to low and keep on stirring. After some time, the mixture will start leaving the sides of the kadai and start to froth. Check by dropping a small drop in a plate. It should firm up. This is the consistency. Pour the mixture on the greased tray if you like a soft set burfi. Personally, I like it crunchy. To get it crunchy with rustic look, I kept the mixture on stove for a couple of minutes more. Even the surface gently with a spatula. When warm, cut into desired shape. 

NOTE: It can be done with 3 cups of sugar minus cashews. As I felt sugar would be more and also wanted it to be rich, I made like this. Any nuts can be substituted for cashews.

PUMPKIN SEEDS AND NUTS ENERGY LADOO RECIPE / PUMPKIN SEEDS AND NUTS ENERGY BALLS RECIPE

Pumpkin Seeds and Nuts Energy ladoo / Energy balls can be made with or without added sugars. These are easy to make, simple and healthy and is very nutritious.

Pumpkin seeds (yellow pumpkin seeds, NOT ashgourd seeds) also known as Pepitas, are good sources of magnesium, pottasium and zinc. They aid in lowering cholestrol, promote good prostate and helps in boosting metabolism. They are loaded with Omega 3 fatty acids and the antioxidants found in pumpkin seeds assist in maintaining blood sugar levels and is helpful in preventing complications of diabetes. It is also helpful in menstrual disorders and insomnia. Though available, these seeds are bit costly in India. My son sent me these from U.S.

Recently, I received a Turbo chopper from Preethi Kitchen Appliances. Preethi Turbo chopper is an easy to use, handy equipment used for chopping onions, cabbage, greens and nuts. Dips and chutneys with tomatoes, herbs, etc. can also be made with this small chopper. It just needs one press and does its job fast. I have used this Turbo chop for making this energy ladoos. You can also use a dry mixer jar.

INGREDIENTS:

Pumpkin seeds - 1/2 cup (yellow pumpkin seeds, NOT ashgourd seeds)
Cashews - 1/2 cup
Almond - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Roasted gram -1/4 cup
Raisins- 1/2 cup
Palm candy - 1/4 cup
Honey - 3 tablespoons
Nutella - 160 gms.
Ghee- to grease hands

METHOD:

Dry roast pumpkin seeds, cashews, almond, peanuts and roasted gram separately, on low heat until hot. If kept in fridge, bring to room temperature and then dry roast. 

When cool, grind along with palm candy to a coarse powder. 

Now add raisins, honey and nutella, whip until mixed well. 

Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Grease hands with ghee and shape to balls, pedas, or squares. If cutting like square, transfer to a tray, press the surface evenly with a greased cup and cut into desired shape.

OOSI THENKUZHAL RECIPE

This is an easy to bite, melt in mouth snack for all, especially elders.Its been done for more than 100 years in our home by my grandma, great grandma... patti, Kollu, ellu paattis. I have not seen anyone making these type of thenkuzhals in any of our extended families. But my grandma says, it was common on earlier days and said its name as oosi thenkuzhal. I suddenly remembered this and made. It can be done with regular thenkuzhal maavu. My recipe is as follows:

Click 👉for Thenkuzhal and Millet coconut milk thenkuzhal recipes

INGREDIENTS:

Processed rice flour - 5 cups
Urad dhal powder- 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp.
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Hing - 1/2 tsp.
Oil - to deep fry

METHOD:

Sieve the flour well. Combine all ingredients and mix well to get a crumbly texture.

Add water little by little to make a smooth, manageable dough.

Heat oil in a wok. Make balls out of the dough and fill it in 'Omapodi achu' and press in a circular motion directly into the oil. Flip on both sides until done. When cool, store in airtight container.

NOTE: This gets cooked fast, so be careful and do not fry in oil for a long time, else it will turn brown.

MENU IDEAS FOR NINE DAYS OF NAVARATHRI FESTIVAL: NINE SUNDALS, NINE RICE VARIETIES, NINE PAYASAMS

CLICK ON THE RECIPE NAME FOR RECIPES LINK

MENU IDEAS FOR NINE DAYS OF NAVARATHRI FESTIVAL: NINE SUNDALS, NINE RICE VARIETIES, NINE PAYASAMS

DAY	SUNDAL	RICE	PAYASAM
1	RAJMA	LENTILS KHICHRI	CASHEW PAYASAM
2	GROUNDNUT	KADAMBAM(IYENGAR STYLE)	PUTTU
3	THENGAI MAANGAI PATTANI	KALKANDU BHATH	ARISI PAYASAM
4	FRESH BUTTER BEANS	KOTHAMALLI RICE	SAKKARAI PONGAL
5	KABUL CHENNA	MANGO RICE	BADAM KHEER
6	PACHAI PAYARU	COCONUT RICE	MOONG DHAL PAYASAM
7	FRESH RED BEAN	LEMON RICE	AKKARA ADISIL
8	KARAMANI(SWEET)	PULIYODHARAI	JAVVARISI PAYASAM
9	KONDAKKADALAI	ELLORAI	CARROT KHEER

FEW MORE IDEAS

DAY	SUNDAL / URUNDAI	RICE	PAYASAM
1	MOCHAI	KOVIL PULIYODHARAI	PAZHAM PRADHAMAN
2	KARAMANI	KADUGORAI	SEMIYA PAALPAYASAM
3	MAALADU	ULUNDHORAI	PRAIPPU PRADHAMAN
4	KADALAI URUNDAI	MILAGORAI	THIRUPULLANI PAL PAYASAM
5	AAMA VADAI	MELKOTE PULIYOGARE	CHAKKA PRADHAMAN /
6	KADALAI PARUPPU SUNDAL	'THIRUKOSHTIYUR' THIRUMAALAI CHAMBA	NEI PAYASAM (KERALA SPECIAL)
7	PAYATHAMPARUPPU SUNDAL	KUTHIRAIVALI(BARNYARD MILLET)PANAMKALKANDU BHATH	SADASADAYAM / CHADACHADAYAM
8	PACHAI PAYARU(SWEET)	SAMBHAR SADHAM	PAL PAYASAM
9	CORN SUNDAL	MANGO RICE / MANGAI SADHAM	PALADA PRADHAMAN

WHEAT FLOUR COCONUT MILK VELLA SEEDAI RECIPE / WHEAT FLOUR COCONUT MILK SWEET SEEDAI RECIPE / GODHUMAI THENGAIPAAL VELLA SEEDAI RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

Wheat flour - 1 1/4 cup
Rice flour - 3/4 cup
Urad dhal powder - 2 tsp.
Crushed jaggery - 1 1/2 cup
Butter - 2 tablespoons (to be melted)
Coconut pieces - 2 tablespoons
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp.
Coconut milk - 2 tablespoons or as needed
Oil - 1 cup - to deep fry

METHOD:

Prepare rice flour and urad dhal powder as mentioned in this link.

Sieve well. Dry roast rice flour until hot. Dry roast wheat flour until you get a nice aroma.

Melt butter and keep ready. Cut coconut into small pieces.

Crush jaggery, dissolve in little water and strain it without any dust, dirt or mud. Heat jaggery and make a syrup of soft ball consistency.

(Sugar syrup consistency - detailed post is here).

Add all ingredients (except oil) to the syrup and stir without any lumps. Switch off the stove. Add coconut milk to make a smooth dough. Knead well when still warm.

Allow it to cool. Make gooseberry- sized balls from the dough.

Heat oil in a kadai. Fry 5- 6 balls at a time, in medium heat, until golden brown.

WHEAT FLOUR COCONUT MILK UPPU SEEDAI RECIPE / WHEAT FLOUR COCONUT MILK SEEDAI RECIPE / GODHUMAI THENGAIPAAL UPPU SEEDAI RECIPE

Seedai is an offering made for Sri Krishna Jayanthi/Gokulashtami. Usually, seedai is done with processed rice flour. Earlier I have posted uppu seedai, maida coconut milk seedai. Now I have used wheat flour instead of maida. The gluten content in wheat breaks down when steamed and makes it easily digestible and healthy.

INGREDIENTS:

Wheat flour - 1 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Urad dhal powder - 2 tsp.
White sesame seeds/jeera - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Hing - 1/4 tsp.
Butter - 50 gms (to be melted)
Oil or Coconut oil - to deep fry
Water-coconut milk mixture - as needed

METHOD:

Prepare urad dhal powder as said in this link. Tie wheat flour in a clean white cloth and steam cook for 15 minutes. When still warm to handle, break well without any lumps or powder in a mixie. Sieve well. Sieve rice flour and dry roast until hot.

Mix water and coconut milk and keep ready. Melt butter and keep ready.

In a broad vessel, combine all ingredients and mix well to a crumbled mixture. Now add the water-coconut milk mixture little by little to make a smooth dough.

Make small balls from the dough and spread it on a clean, white cloth.

Heat oil and add the seedais to it. Deep fry in medium heat until golden brown. Drain on a kitchen towel. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Crispy and crunchy wheat flour coconut milk seedai is ready for offering.
Click here for regular seedai recipe.

Click here for maida coconut milk seedai recipe.

NOTE:

Make sure that there is no mud or dust in the flour, sesame seeds, jeera and salt. It is better to dissolve salt and hing in water and strain it and use.

Grated coconut is not necessary as coconut milk is used.

Coconut oil enhances the taste, but any other edible oil can be used.

PANAKAM , NEER MOR, KOSUMARI RECIPES / SRI RAMA NAVAMI RECIPES

Sri Rama Navami is a festival/pandigai celebrating the birth of Lord Rama .

Offerings for Sri Rama Navami is the simplest of all the festivals. They are Panakam, Neer Mor and kosumari.

Rama fulfilled all his duties towards his subjects in Ramarajyam. Even a poor man
will have buttermilk and jaggery in his house and can celebrate Rama Navami. That is the karunyam of Sri Rama. 

In addition to neer mor, panakam, kosumari you can also make Tiruppullani paal payasam which is a special on this day. All these recipes are summer coolers.

Pandigai thaligai :
Sadham(rice), Nei(ghee), paruppu, mor kozhambu or Sambhar, paruppu usili, kari amudhu(poriyal), kootu, thayirpachadi, kosambari, vadaam or appalam, vadai or thayir vadai, sathamudhu(Rasam), Tirukannan amudhu(payasam), thayir (curd),oorugaai(pickle).

NEER MOR

INGREDIENTS:

Buttermilk
Salt
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves
Hing powder

METHOD:

Whisk thick  curd and dilute it with water. Add salt, curryleaves, coriander leaves and hing to buttermilk. Mix well and offer it to Lord.

PANAGAM 

INGREDIENTS: 

Jaggery
Dried ginger powder
Cardamom powder 
Water

METHOD:

Powder the jaggery. Dissolve it in water. Strain it to remove impurities. Add the given powders, stir well and offer to Lord. 

KOSUMARI

INGREDIENTS:

Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Grated/finely chopped raw mango - 1/2 cup
Salt  as required
Coriander leaves - 2 tsp.
Lime juice - 1/2 tsp.(optional)

To temper(optional):
Oil
Mustard seeds
Curry leaves - 4 or 5

METHOD:

Soak dal for 1 an hour. Drain the water. Add grated/finely chopped mango, salt and lime juice, mix well. Temper with the given ingredients, add finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and offer it to Lord.

Updated 👇

Tiruppullani paal payasam

Kosambari

Neer mor

Panakam