Showing posts with label basics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basics. Show all posts

Friday, August 8, 2014

How to make Ada for Ada Pradhaman / Paalada | Homemade Ada Recipe

Homemade Ada Recipe



Learn how to make Ada for Ada Pradhaman /palalda Pradhaman /Payasam.
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Makes: 1 to 1.5 cups
Ingredients:
  1. Unakkalari /Raw rice - 1/2 cup( see notes)
  2. Ghee - 1 tsp
  3. Sugar - 1 tsp
  4. Water - to prepare batter
  5. Banana leaves,cut into rectangles - as required
Instructions:
  • Wash and soak rice in plenty of water for about 1 hour.

  • Drain the water completely and spread the rice on a clean kitchen towel and allow it to dry for about 30 to 45 minutes.
     

  • Transfer it to a blender and grind to form a fine powder.

  • Sieve it to remove any leftover grains.Next add ghee and sugar to the rice flour.

  • Add sufficient water and mix well form a smooth batter ( like dosa batter).Meanwhile boil water in a large pot.

  • Take a piece of banana leaf and drizzle the batter over it.Roll it gently and tie with a string. 
     

  • Once the water comes to a rolling boil,add the rolled banana leaves and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

  • Now remove the rolls from water .Peel the ada carefully.

  • Cut it into small squares and wash the ada if it is sticky.Soak ada in hot water until required.

  • NOTES

    • You may  use pachari if unakkalri is not available.
    • You can also use unroasted rice flour to prepare ada.In that case just add sugar ,ghee and water to the flour and mix to form the batter.
    • For Ada Pradhaman ,cut the ada into slightly larger pieces.

              Wednesday, August 6, 2014

              Aloo Paratha| Potato Masala Stuffed Indian Flatbread | Step by Step Recipe

              Aloo Paratha




              Potato masala stuffed Indian flatbread.
              Prep Time: 10 minutes
              Cooking Time: 20 minutes
              Makes: 6 parathas
              Ingredients:
              1. Whole wheat flour- 1 Cup( extra for dusting)
              2. Water - as required
              3. Salt - to taste( about 1 cup)
              4. Oil / Ghee - as required
              For Potato stuffing:
              1. Potato,boiled and cubed- 2 medium
              2. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
              3. Onion,finely chopped - 1/4 cup
              4. Green chilies,finely chopped - 1 ( or according to taste)
              5. Ginger ,finely chopped - 1/4 tsp
              6. Kashmiri chili powder- 1/4  tsp( or to taste)
              7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
              8. Garam masala powder- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
              9. Coriander leaves,chopped - 1 tbsp
              10. Salt- To taste
              11. Oil- as required
              Instructions:
            • In a bowl,combine together whole wheat flour,salt and sufficient quantity of water and mix well.Knead to form a soft dough.Cover and keep aside for atleast 15 minutes.

            • Heat oil in a pan,add cumin seeds and saute for few seconds.Add onion,green chilies and ginger.Saute until onion turns golden brown.

            • Now add kashmiri chili powder,turmeric powder and garam masala powder.Saute for few seconds.Add potato , coriander leaves and salt to taste.

            • Mix well until it is smooth.Divide the stuffing into 6 equal parts.

            • Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll a portion of the dough into a circle of 4" diameter on a lightly floured surface.Place the filling ball in the center.

            • Bring all the sides to the center and seal tightly.Pinch off the excess dough,if desired.

            • Press it lightly using your finger tips to form a circle.

            • Dust the surface with whole wheat flour ,roll the stuffed dough lightly to form 6 to 7 " circle.(Lightly dust the parathas with flour,if it sticks to the rolling pin or the  working surface.)

            • Heat a nonstick /iron tawa ,place the paratha and let it cook until the color changes slightly for about 15 seconds over medium high heat.Flip the paratha and cook for few more seconds.

            • Drizzle 1 tsp oil over the paratha.Flip the paratha again and gently press using a spatula.Cook until golden brown spots appear on both the sides.Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.Serve hot with pickle and yogurt.


            • NOTES
              • For best results, drizzle ghee over the parathas. 



                                    Tuesday, July 15, 2014

                                    Kerala Appam Recipe | Palappam | Kerala Laced Rice Pancakes | Step by Step Pictures


                                    Kerala Palappam



                                    Kerala style laced rice pancakes ( Gluten free and vegan)
                                    Prep Time: 4 hours, + more for fermentation
                                    Cooking Time: 45 minutes
                                    Makes: 18 to 20 palappam
                                    Ingredients:
                                    1. Raw rice ( Pachari) - 1.5 cups( see notes)
                                    2. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup ,heaped
                                    3. Cooked Rice - 1/2 cup
                                    4. Sugar- 1.5 to 3 tbsp 
                                    5. Yeast - 1/4 tsp
                                    6. Water - 1.5 cups
                                    7. Salt-  to taste
                                    Instructions:

                                  • Wash the rice well and soak it for about 4 to 5 hours.
                                  • Grind together drained raw rice, grated coconut , cooked rice and 3/4 cup water to form a smooth batter.
                                  • Next add sugar,yeast and remaining water and blend for about 30 seconds or until sugar and yeast is completely dissolved.
                                  • Transfer the batter to a large bowl.Cover and let it ferment  for about 5 to 8 hours( depending upon the temperature conditions) in a warm place , until almost doubled in volume.
                                  • After fermentation( for about 5 to 8 hours) add salt to taste.Gently stir the salt in.Cover and keep aside for atleast 30 minutes.The batter will rise a bit and will be light and foamy.
                                  • Heat the appachatti over medium high flame.Rub it with some oil if you are using an iron appachatti.( Skip this step if you are using a non stick appachatti.) Gently pour a ladle full of batter into the pan.
                                  • Immediately swirl the pan to spread the batter in a circle.Cover and cook for about a minute or until the edges turn golden brown.
                                  • Carefully remove the appam from the pan.Serve with vegetable curry/egg curry /chicken curry.

                                  • STEP BY STEP PICTURES:

                                  • In a bowl,add rice ( i used 1 cup raw rice and 1/2 cup basmati rice)and water , rinse it well.

                                  • Soak the washed rice in plenty of water for about  4 to 5 hours. 
                                  • Add grated coconut and cooked rice into a blender.
                                  • Add the drained ,soaked rice and 1/2 to 3/4 cup water to the blender.
                                  • Grind to form a smooth batter.
                                  • Next add sugar to the batter.  
                                  • Add yeast and the remaining water ,blend until sugar and yeast is completely dissolved ,for about 30 seconds.
                                  • Transfer the batter to a large bowl.Cover and let it ferment  for about 5 to 8 hours( depending upon the temperature conditions) in a warm place , until almost doubled in volume.
                                  • The batter will look something like this,after fermentation.
                                  • Now add salt to taste.
                                  • Gently stir the salt in.Cover and keep aside for atleast 30 minutes.The batter will rise a bit.
                                  • Now the batter will be light and foamy.
                                  • Heat the appachatti over medium high flame.Rub it with some oil if you are using an iron appachatti.( Skip this step if you are using a non stick appachatti.) Gently pour a ladle full of batter into the pan.
                                  • Immediately swirl the pan to spread the batter in a circle.Cover and cook for about a minute or until the edges turn golden brown.
                                  • Carefully remove the appam from the pan.Serve with vegetable curry/egg curry /chicken curry.

                                  • NOTES
                                    • You can also use 1 cup raw rice and 1/2 cup basmati rice ,if desired.I feel adding 1/2 cup basmati rice makes appam more soft  and fluffy.
                                    • Adjust the quantity of water depending upon the type of rice you use.Basically the batter should be a bit watery so that the edges turn out really thin.
                                    • Adjust the quantity of sugar according to your taste.Adding a bit more sugar will help to get the edges golden brown.
                                    • Leftover batter can be refrigerated for upto 2 days.Bring down to room temperature before making appams.
                                    • You may serve appam with Nadan Mutta curryKerala Egg curry,Egg curry with potato ,Kadala curry,Kerala vegetable stew,Mutton stew,Kerala duck curry or even fish molly.





                                    Sunday, July 6, 2014

                                    Homemade Tomato Sauce


                                    Homemade Tomato Sauce





                                    Easy ,healthy and delicious homemade tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes.
                                    Prep Time: 10 minutes
                                    Cook time: 60 minutes
                                    Makes: 1 cup
                                    Ingredients:
                                    1. Tomato- 500 gms
                                    2. Onion,finely chopped- 1/2 of a small
                                    3. Garlic ,chopped- 1 clove
                                    4. Ginger,chopped-1" piece
                                    5. Celery,chopped- 1 tbsp
                                    6. Red bell pepper,chopped-1/4 cup
                                    7. Red chilies- 2 to 3 nos( deseeded)
                                    8. Black pepper powder- to taste
                                    9. Golden Raisins- 1 tbsp
                                    10. Bay leaf- 1
                                    11. Salt- to taste
                                    12. Oil- as required
                                    13. Vinegar- 2 tsp
                                    14. Sugar-1.5 to 3 tbsp( see notes)
                                    Instructions:
                                  • Roughly chop the tomatoes and keep aside.Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan,add onion,garlic and ginger.Saute until onion turns golden brown.
                                  • Now add celery,red bell pepper,red chilies,black pepper powder,raisins,bay leaf  and salt to taste.Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium low.Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until it turns thick .Switch off the stove.
                                  • Remove the bay leaf .Use an immersion blender to puree sauce until smooth.
                                  • Pass it through a sieve to remove seeds and skin.
                                  • Transfer the sauce to a heavy bottomed pan .Add vinegar and  sugar,mix well and cook over low flame until it turns thick and slightly darker in color, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
                                    • Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for upto 2 weeks.
                                    NOTES
                                    • Adjust the quantity of sugar according to your taste.
                                    • I also added 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder along with sugar as we spicy tomato sauce.