Kasi Halwa

Simple yet most yummiest halwa made with just white pumpkin, sugar/jaggery and some milk... seasoned  with ghee & kismis 

Ingredient:

White pumpkin 1 (seeds and skin removed)

Milk 1/2 cup

Sugar 3 spoons

butter (melted will also work) as needed

Dried grapes to garnish

Cardamom for flavoring (3)

Prep: 30 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Servings: 4

Method:

Grate the pumpkin and keep it aside. In a shallow flat bottomed vessel, add pumpkin to it, and Cook it until the water in the pumpkin is vaporized (this is the longest process, takes about 15-20 mins). Now stir in milk to the pumpkin (not the full 1/2 cup, little by little), to it and cook it until the pumpkin becomes mushy and is well cooked. 

Finally add butter and sugar (as per taste) and stir until the butter is completely melted and sugar is completely dissolved. Keep stirring until a nice aroma rises. (This takes about 5 mins)

Melt one spoon of butter or ghee, and once it is hot add dried grapes and cardamom, add it to halwa. (this is just for tempering or garnishing) 

The amazing kasi halwa is ready for serving (best served when hot)!

Eggless Chocolate cake

A very simple recipe. To one cup of all purpose flour, add 1 cup of sugar,  1ts of baking soda, 1ts of eno/fruit salt, 1/4 cup of powdered chocolate, 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and water. Beat it all together to make a smooth batter and then bake it at 350'F in a pre-heated oven for 40-45 mins. 

Eggplant roll

A simple recipe with eggplant. Make slices of Eggplant and bake/broil it , then make a  black eyed peas paste (with chili and salt to taste), toss some tomatoes, onions and capsicum in oil. Spread the paste on eggplant and add the tossed veggies and fold it. Yummy eggplant roll is ready

Making Ghee

Making ghee from butter is very simple. Take a thick bottomed kadai, and heat & melt butter in medium heat. Add some crystals of rock salt once all the butter is melted and when the butter begins to boil over add few fenugreek seeds to it and remove from heat. Once the ghee is cool, bottle it in a container. Personally I just love the aroma of a freshly made ghee.

Paserattu and Allum chutney

Paserattu:

It is very easy to make paserattu and it makes a very healthy tiffin or breakfast.

Ingredients:

(Sprouted) Green gram/moong dal - 3cups
Green chili - 6-8
Salt to taste

Prep:
Soak green gram/ moong dal overnight or until sprout.

Procedure:

Grind the soaked moong dal along with green chili and salt in to fine batter in a grinder or blender. Add enough water to bring it in to a thick consistency.

Now take one ladle of the batter and spread it on a heated tava/gridle just like dosa/crepe. Make sure to make it not very thin or thick. After a min turn the paserattu over to cook the other side. After 30s remove and serve it with chutney.


Allum Chutney:

Allum chutney is sweet and sour ginger chutney. It goes very well with the moong based paserattu.

Ingredients:
Ginger - 2 inches
Tamarind
Jaggery
Curry leaves - 5-6
Salt to taste

Procedure:


Cut ginger in to small pieces and saute it with 1ts of channa dal, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, tamarind in 2ts of heated oil in a pan. Once the raw smell of the tamarind and ginger is gone, remove the pan from heat and let it cool.

Once cold add a little amount of jaggery to the mixture and grind it in to fine paste in a blender. Then boil this paste in a thick bottomed pan. Add salt to taste. Your allum chutney is ready.


Hope u enjoy this recipe!!

Morkootu

 

Morkootu, is my hubby's fav. It is very easy and really tasty.

Ingredients:
Channa Dal - 1 cup
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Rice - a handful
Green Chili - 5-6
Coconut - 1/2 cup
White Pumpkin
Salt to taste
Curd/Buttermilk - 2 cups

Prep Time:
Soak dal and rice for 1-2 hours

Recipe:
Grind soaked dal, rice and green chilies with shredded coconut in to a nice paste in a blender.

Cut pumpkin in to small pieces and then saute it in a kadai until pumpkin is cooked (should be soft and water). Now add the dal paste to the well cooked pumpkin and boil for 5-10 mins. Then add curd to the mixture and keep stirring. (Make sure that the curd does not start thinning/separating). Heat only for about 2-3 mins. Then remove from stove. Add salt to taste.

Temper it with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chili (1 or 2) and curry leaves.

Your yummy Morkootu is ready. Morkootu and beans Paruppu usuli form a great combo. Hope u enjoy this recipe.