Strawberry Jam (Refined Sugar free)

Tags

Dates Jam, homemade strawberry jam, refined sugar free jam, Strawberry, Strawberry Dates Jam, Strawberry Jam, Sugar free jam, sugarfree strawberry jam

Strawberry season in full swing. Usual price would be around 3 to 4$ per box. Now I got an offer of 4 boxes 5$, I grabbed it immediately. Everyday we both have been munching them 🙂 Before it spoils, I wanted to make jam 😉 . Also wanted to avoid refined sugar, so I have used dates instead. A very simple and easy recipe. This is a simple home made jam, haven’t used pectin as thickening agent.

Ingredients:

Strawberry : 1 1/2 cup Chopped to pieces

Dates : 1 cup (De seeded and chopped)

Lemon Juice : juice taken from 1/2 of a large.

Water : 1/2 cup

Method:

• In a saucepan, heat strawberry and dates. Strawberry leaves off juice. When it all combines well, stop and let it cool.
• As I found few dates was still chunky, I pureed this with 1/2 cup water. Add lemon juice as well.
• Again in saucepan, heat it till it combines well and a little thicker. This just take 5 mins.

Store in an airtight mason jar in refrigerator. You can also use honey instead of dates.

 

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White Pumpkin Sambar/Poosanikai Sambar — Bloggivessary Post

Tags

Chettinad style poosanikai sambar, chettinad style sambar, podi munikina poosanikai sambar, Poosanikai Sambar, pumpkin sambar, sambar recipe, south Indian sambar recipe, white pumpkin sambar

OK, this is going to be a little long post. Feb 26th is the first anniversary for Malar’s Kitchen. I never thought I would blog on for a year. It is already a year and I can’t believe it myself. I started it just like a kid and to document all recipes. To share some Chettinad recipes. I never felt I would be blogging so seriously. Blog world has given me wonderful friends. Though sometimes I did go stressed with the blog post, blogging is always fun, addictive and enjoyable.

I hope and guess have given some healthy recipes, some traditional recipes. Till date there is 182 published post in my blog. Sigh!!! Did I do that? I wonder myself 🙂 I should give credits to my husband who did bare my cooking 😉 yeah sometimes when I try out a recipe and if doesn’t work…he has to manage with it 😛 He is always supportive.  He is as well a blogger, who encouraged me all these days. In case you are interested do check his blog @ Known is a drop, Unknown is an ocean Thanks to all my blog followers, friends who follow in Facebook, friends who have subscribed via email. A big Thanks to everyone who have supported me and let me go on.

I never knew that food photography existed in the first few months while I started blogging. After seeing some wonderful pictures from co bloggers, I thought I should change my way and did few things. Till date I have just taken baby steps to learn.  Hope my pictures look a bit better now.

So for the first anniversary I have chosen my grandma’s recipe, who is everything for me in this world. Instead of a sweet, I have chosen a savory food 🙂 Why not a sweet, read on…

This sambar holds a very special place in my heart, a recipe of my grandma. Whenever she prepares this sambar, I eat lot more 😀 She makes it really spicy and everyone at my home loves it so much. She calls it Podi munukina poosanikai sambar. I have tried it many times and couldn’t get her results 😦 So I called again last week and said amma(I call her amma(mother) rather than grandma as she was the one who grew me up 🙂 ) give me the exact measurements. She always tells me add a bit of this, a bit of that and I miss the correct proportion which spoils the sambar. So this time I got the perfect measurement from her and YAY, I got it perfect 😀 I was so happy and jumped in joy 🙂 I wanted to document it and share with my blog reader, hope everyone would love it as much as I do 🙂

Ingredients:

White Pumpkin/Poosanikai : 1 1/2 cup chopped (skin peeled)

Onion : 1/4 of a large

Tomato : 1/2 of a large

Turmeric Powder : generous pinch

Tamarind : 1 teaspoon

Water : as needed

Salt : as needed

To temper:

Oil : 1 1/2 tablespoon(reduce it if desired)

Mustard seeds : 1/2 teaspoon

Urad dal : 1/2 teaspoon

Curry Leaves : Few

To grind :

Red Chili : 2 large (I have reduced from 4 to 2, if you like it more spicy can increase to 4)

Fennel Seeds/Sombu : 1 1/2 teaspoon

Fenugreek Seeds/Vendhayam: 1/4 teaspoon

Channa Dal/Kadalai Paruppu : 1 tablespoon

Raw Rice/Pachai arisi : 1 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida/Hing : 1/8 teaspoon

Method:

• In a pan, dry roast each ingredient in to grind separately , make sure not to burn and let it cool. When cool, grind it to a coarse powder( I made it  to a fine powder).
• Heat oil of 1 tablespoon in a medium pan. When hot add onion, saute for 2 mins.
• Next add the chopped pumpkins, saute for 3 to 4 mins.
• Next add tomato and saute till it mashes well. Add turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
• Now add around 1 1/2 cups of water and let it boil for 6 to 7 mins. Close pan with lid.
• Check if the pumpkin is 60 to 70% cooked. Now add the ground powder. Mix well.
• Sambar would start getting thicker. Add 1/2 cup of water more and mix.
• You can adjust water , so that it has the consistency of sambar. Make sure it is not too thick or not too watery.
• Check for salt and adjust it as well.
• Boil for another 10 mins. Now add tamarind juice and mix.
• Boil for 5 mins. Finally check if the pumpkins are fully cooked with flavors.
• Now heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, hing. When they crackle, add curry leaves. When it splutters add it to the sambar.
• Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with rice.

Once again heart felt Thanks to all followers and supporters.

Coconut Chutney

Tags

Coconut Chutney, easy Indian Chutney recipes, how to make coconut chutney, Indian Breakfast recipe, Indian Chutney recipes, South Indian Coconut Chutney

Coconut chutney is everyone’s favorite I guess, I am no exception 🙂 Just realized that this easy chutney is not in my blog 😉 This post is for few of my friends, who always asks me for this recipe.

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut : 1/4 cup

Roasted Gram/Pottukadalai : 2 tablespoons

Green Chili : 1

Ginger : 1 very small piece (optional)

Salt : as required

Water : as required

Oil : 1/4 teaspoon

Mustard Seeds: 1/4 teaspoon

Urad Dal : 1/4 teaspoon

Red Chili : 1 (optional)

Asafoetida : 1/8 teaspoon

Curry Leaves : Few

Method:

• Grind coconut, roasted gram, green chili, ginger piece to a fine paste.
• Add enough water, salt. Mix well.
• Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chili, asafoetida.
• When it turns golden brown, add curry leaves. When it splutters, mix this with the chutney.

Do not boil chutney, it spoils the taste. Just mix the tadka with the chutney.

Ginger is totally optional, it gives a very nice taste.

Check out some of my other breakfast recipes in this link.

Oats Kozhukattai

Tags

Kozhukattai, Oats Indian Breakfast, Oats Indian recipes, Oats Indian style recipe, Oats Kozhukattai, Pidi Kozhukattai, Pidi Kozhukattai recipe

I always prepare rice kozhukattai and wanted to make it with Oats. Many of my friends tells me that incorporating oats in everday routine is difficult for them. As most of us Indians like savory food for breakfast or snack. Here in US , Oats is usually taken in a sweet way. We adapting it, is a bit difficult….at least for South Indians I guess 😉 Do give this recipe a try. This will surely be treat for taste buds.

Ingredients:

Oats : 1 cup ( any kind, rolled oats or instant oats)

Water : 3/4 cup

Salt : 1/4 teaspoon

Oil : 1 teaspoon

Mustard Seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Urad dal : 1/4 teaspoon

Curry Leaves : Few

Onion : 1/4 of a large

Green Chili : 1 small

Method:

• Dry roast Oats until nice aroma rises(It will take around 3 to 4 mins). Let it cool.
• Once cool, grind it to either fine powder or coarse powder. I made coarse powder.
• Heat oil in a pan. When hot add mustard seeds, urad dal. When it turns slight golden color, add curry leaves. (Chop curry leaves into pieces and put, so that it can merge well)
• When curry leaves splutter, add onion, green chili. Saute for 2 mins.
• Next add water and salt. Let it boil well.
• When it boils add the oats powder and mix. It will get cooked fast.
• Oats will come together soon. When it turns sticky enough, switch off and let it cool.
• Meanwhile grease idli plates and get idli pot also ready.
• When the oats is cooled down, grease your palm with oil.
• Make small balls and steam it for 10 mins in high.
• Serve with any spicy chutney, as oats is a little bland in taste.

This can be served as both breakfast and snack. I served it with spicy coconut chutney.

Few other Oats recipes for breakfast from my earlier post

Oats Upma

Oats Idli

Oats Uthappam

 

Spinach Raita/Palak Raita

Tags

easy raita recipes, Healthy Spinach, Indian Spinach recipes, raita recipes, Spinach raita, Spinach Yogurt dip

Spinach Raita is something very tasty and easy to prepare. Spinach health benefits need not be given to explain the importance, as we all know about it. I have always heard that weekends are usually special at everyone’s place, but at my home I make very simple. It is usually Veggie Quinoa either on Saturday or Sunday. My hubby would want just yogurt for this as an accompaniment. I thought why not make it healthy with spinach and here is spinach raita 🙂

Ingredients:

Spinach : 1 cup packed

Yogurt/Curd : 4 tablespoons

Salt : 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin Powder : 1/4 teaspoon

Red Chili Powder : 1/4 teaspoon

Water : 2 tablespoons

Method:

• Clean spinach. In a pan, add the washed spinach and water of around 2 tablespoons and heat in high for 5 mins.
• Spinach would leave out water , let it cool.
• Once cool, take out spinach and chop to small pieces.
• Drain the water and set aside(do not throw away).
• Now in a mixing bowl, add yogurt, salt, cumin powder, red chili powder and the spinach cooked water.
• With a whisk, beat well to a fine paste.
• Next add the chopped spinach and again mix with the whisk.

Spinach raita is ready 🙂

Goes great with any pulao, biriyani. Few recipes given below

Veggie Quinoa

Mushroom Biriyani

Capsicum Masala Rice

Celery Rice

Veg Toast — Iyengar Bakery style

Tags

Bangalore style vegetable sandwich, easy Indian sandwich, Iyengar Bakery style sandwich, Iyengar Bakery style veg toast, veg sandwich, veg sandwich Indian style, Veg toast

If you visit Bangalore, you must try this veg toast for sure. In case you are from Bangalore or have an idea about this toast, I am sure I need not explain the taste 😉 Iyengar Bakery is famous bakery chain in Bangalore and all their products are absolutely tasty. This toast has a special taste which will make you fall in love for these toasts. Though I have made onion tomato curry for sandwich, I somehow love this style of sandwich. Then googled and found the simple trick to prepare this and the secret ingredient that gives it a great taste. You must try it at home, very simple and easy.

Ingredients:

Onion : 1/2 of a large

Tomato : 1 medium

Carrot : 1 medium grated

Cabbage : 5 to 6 leaves(handful chopped)

Capsicum :1 small ( I haven’t used)

Red Chili Powder : 1/4 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder : a pinch

Chat Masala : 1/4 teaspoon

Tomato Ketchup : 2 tablespoons

Oil : 1.5 teaspoon

Mustard Seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Urad Dal : 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin Seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Salt : as needed

Cilantro Leaves : to garnish

Bread Slices : 4

Butter : as needed to toast

Method:

• Chop onion, tomato, cabbage to small pieces and grate carrot.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds.
• When it crackles, add onions and saute till translucent.
• Next add tomato and saute till soft.
• Now add grated carrot, cabbage, capsicum.
• Cook for 3 mins. Next add red chili powder, chat masala, salt, tomato ketchup and mix well.
• Ensure all vegetables are well cooked. It takes around 5 to 6 mins. Taste and adjust in case anything needed.
• Heat a tawa and toast bread with butter.
• Now place this veggies masala in between and serve.

Easy and tasty veg toast is ready 🙂

Ginger Chutney/Allam Chutney

Tags

Allam Chutney, Allam pachadi, chutney recipe for idli dosa, easy chutney recipes, Ginger Chutney, how to make allam chutney, Pesarattu, side dish for pesarattu

Ginger chutney is one of the best chutney combination for Pesarattu dosa, it goes great with normal idli/dosa, Millets Idli. as well. Few years back my friends mom taught me this recipe. She can only talk in telugu and though I can understand and speak telugu, it was a big challenge for me to get those ingredients she was mentioning. Finally I took her to the kitchen and made her show me what she was mentioning 😉 Pesarattu was again a recipe which I came to know from her.

If you would like to read some health benefits of ginger, here is a link which I had posted long back.

Here is the recipe…

Ingredients:

Ginger : 1 1/2 inch piece (can be reduced to 1 inch piece)

Garlic clove :2

Dry red chili : 2

Channa dal : 1 1/2 tablespoon

Urad dal : 1 tablespoon

Tamarind : small piece

Jaggery : 1 teaspoon

Oil : 3/4 teaspoon

To temper:

Mustard Seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Urad dal : 1/4 teaspoon

Curry Leaves : Few

Water, salt : as needed

Method:

• Peel skin of ginger and chop of small pieces.
• Heat 1/4 teaspoon oil. When hot, add garlic cloves, red chili and saute till garlic changes slight brown. Set aside.
• In the same pan, add ginger and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Set aside.
• Heat 1/4 teaspoon more oil in the same pan, add channa dal, urad dal and saute till golden brown. Set aside.
• Let all the above cool. Now to this add tamarind piece, jaggery and grind it to a fine paste.
• Add required salt and water to grind.
• Take in a bowl and keep aside.
• Heat 1/4 teaspoon oil in a pan, when hot add mustard seeds, urad dal when it crackles add curry leaves. When they splutter, add it to the ground chutney.
• Ginger chutney is ready.

Serve with Pesarattu/Idli/Dosa/Millets Idli.

Some of the breakfast for which you can have this chutney as accompaniment recipes here

Semolina Upma/Broken Wheat Rava Upma

Tapioca Pearl Kichadi/ Javvarisi upma

Oats Upma

Lentil crepes/ Adai Dosa

Pesarattu / Moong Bean Crepes

Tomato Dosa(No fermentation)

Arisi Upma/Rice Rava Upma

Oats Uthappam

Oats Idli

Millets Idli

Ragi puttu(Savory version)

Tags

Diabetic friendly Indian recipes, Diabetic friendly recipe, Ragi, Ragi flour, Ragi Flour recipes, Ragi Puttu, Ragi puttu recipe, Ragi Puttu salt version, Ragi Puttu savory version

When I had posted Ragi puttu sweet version, I got lots of response in Facebook groups asking for savory version. I had also mentioned in the last post , that I will post on this version. This is a very diabetic friendly recipe. You can find the sweet version recipe here

Here is the savory version.

Ingredients:

Ragi Flour : 1 cup

Salt : 1 teaspoon

Water : 1/4 cup

Oil : 1 teaspoon

Onion : 1/4 of a large

Green Chili : 2 (slit in to 2 pieces)

Mustard seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Urad Dal : 1/4 teaspoon

Curry Leaves : Few

Ghee : 1 teaspoon(optional)

Method:

• In a medium bowl, add ragi flour, salt. Sprinkle water slowly and mix.
• Get it to a stage that, when you try to press in hand, it should form a ball.
• Now steam in either idli plate or in pressure cooker(with out pressure regulator).
• Steam for 20 mins.
• Heat oil in a pan, mustard seeds, urad dal. When it splutters add curry leaves.
• Next add onions, green chili. Saute well till translucent.
• Now add this in the steamed ragi puttu and mix.
• Now add ghee and mix. This is totally optional.

Great for breakfast and as evening tiffin.

 

Oats Barfi

Tags

how to make oats burfi, how to make oats flour, Oats, Oats Barfi, Oats Burfi, Oats desserts, Oats Indian recipes, Oats recipes, simple oats desserts, Sugar free barfi, Sugar free desserts, Sugar free Oats barfi

It has been long since I made some desserts at home. Wanted to try something quite healthy and easy. I have a huge pack of rolled oats and my hubby kept asking me to prepare something with it. I have been preparing oats uthappam all the time 😉 So made some of these barfi and came out very delicious.To avoid sugar, I have added jaggery. You can go ahead with sugar as well. Do give it a try.

Ingredients:

Oats Flour : 1.5 cups (take 1.5 cups of oats and grind to fine powder/Instant oats can also be powdered)

Almonds : 2 tablespoon

Cashews : 2 tablespoon

Walnuts : 2 tablespoon

Cardamom : 5 to 6 pieces

Raisins : 1 tablespoon

Jaggery : 3/4 cup( can reduce it to 1/2 cup/ also can be replaced by sugar)

Ghee : 3 tablespoon + extra to grease tray

Method:

• Grind almonds, cashews, walnuts, cardamom to fine powder.( I could get 1 cup out of this)
• In a pan, heat one tablespoon of ghee. When it is hot, roast oats flour and roast in low medium flame for 5 mins. (nice aroma would raise) Make sure not to over burn.Set aside.
• Heat another tablespoon of ghee. When hot, add the ground  dry fruits powder and roast in low medium flame for 5 mins. Make sure not to over burn. Set aside.
• Heat 1/2 tablespoon of ghee, add raisins and let it pop. Make sure not to over burn.
• Heat jaggery with one to two tablespoon of water (in case of sugar, add sugar and water) and when it melts, add roasted oats flour, roasted dry fruits powder, raisins.
• Cook in low flame. It mixes very fast and cooks within 5 mins. Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of ghee and cook.
• It combines well and will come to the center of the pan. Stop the flame.
• Now grease a tray with ghee.
• Pour this barfi mixture and level it.
• Let it cool for half hour to one hour.
• Then cut it to pieces and store in an air tight container.

With the same you can make ladoo’s. Just by forming small balls out of it. It is a great tea time snack.

 

 

 

Vendakkai Mor Kuzhambhu/Okra Yogurt Gravy

Tags

butter milk, chettinad style more kuzhambhu recipe, how to make vendakkai more kuzhambhu, Mor Kuzhambhu, more kuzhambhu recipe, More Kuzhambu, Vendakkai More Kuzhambu, Yogurt

Mor Kuzhambhu is a south Indian yogurt based gravy similar to khadi in north India. Everyone absolutely loves this dish, I am no exception to it. I learnt it from my grandma. Buttermilk made with yogurt cools down the body temperature, is used in this gravy. I usually prepare this when I have some left out okra in the fridge. Never bothered to take pictures 🙂 Then I thought I should include it in my blog too. So here it is.

This recipe is what my mom and grandma uses, which is a little different from others. This is my 175th post, I am very happy to share my family recipe here 🙂

 

Ingredients:

Vendakkai/Okra/Ladies Finger : 6 to 7 (medium sized)

Onion : 1/4 of a large

Yogurt/Curd : 1/2 cup

Water : as needed

Salt : as needed

oil : 1 teaspoon

Red Chili : 1

Mustard seeds : 1/2 teaspoon

Curry Leaves : Few

To grind:

Cumin Seeds : 1/4 teaspoon

Channa dal : 1/2 teaspoon

Green Chili : 2

Ginger : 1 inch piece

Grated Coconut: 2 tablespoon

Raw rice/Pachai arisi : 1 teaspoon

Method:

• Soak all the items in to grind for 15 to 20 mins.
• Meanwhile wash okra, pat it dry in a cloth and remove the water. Chop them to pieces.
• Chop onion.
• Grind all the items which are soaked to a fine paste after 15 to 20 mins.
• Heat oil in a pan, when hot add mustard seeds, red chili. When it splutters, add curry leaves.
• Then add onions saute for 2 mins.
• Next add the chopped okra. Saute till the slimness goes off the okra. Make sure to stir in between.
• When the slimness goes off, add the ground paste above with required salt to the okra. Add one cup water.
• Cover the pan with lid and cook for 10 mins.
• Now the gravy thickens, so make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Meantime, add curd/yogurt with 1/2 cup water and blend it to a watery liquid(butter milk)
• Check if the okra’s are well cooked, if not add some water and cook.
• When the okra’s are well cooked, add the butter milk and heat for just 2 mins.
• If you heat more, then it would turn curdled. Chop few cilantro leaves and garnish.

This goes great with rice. ( As we take brown rice for everyday use, my picture has it 🙂 )

Any veggies of your choice can be used.

Curd / Yogurt should not be very sour.

You can add a pinch of turmeric as well. I like it in the whitish color 😉