Asoka halwa

This halwa is one of Thanjavur's popular dish. We used to buy this halwa in a store called Bombay Sweets and enjoy. Good old days.

INGREDIENTS:

Moong dal- 1 cup

Wheat flour- 2 cups

Milk-1/4 cup

Sugar- 2 cups 

Cashew nuts , cardamom powder, edible camphor, red color- to taste

Ghee

PROCEDURE:

1. Dry roast the moong dal till raw smell is gone.
2. Pressure cook moong dal until well cooked. If the dal is not too paste like, blend it with blender or in a mixie and make it smooth.
3. Now in a pot, add a little ghee and sauté cashew nuts till golden brown and keep aside. 
4. In the same pot, add the wheat flour and sauté till raw smell is gone .
5. Now in a separate bowl, add the moong dal, sugar , wheat flour and mix well. Return it to the pot and stir well until halwa consistency.
6. Add the color powder now and mix well. Add some milk if the halwa becomes too thick. Add more ghee for consistency.
7. Turn off stove and add the edible camphor and cardamom powders and the already sautéed cashew nuts and mix well. 
8. Enjoy. Make sure you lick your fingers/spoon well after done.

Note: I am not a big fan of food coloring and hence have not added a lot of color. If you want more red color, please feel free to add more food color.

Baby corn 65

This recipe is very easy, fast and a crowd pleaser. It could be a good side dish or an appetizer.

INGREDIENTS:

Baby corn- I can, drained and rinsed in running water

Ginger garlic paste-1 tbsp

Yogurt- 1 tsp

All purpose flour or maida - 1 tbsp

Rice flour- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin seed powder, fennel seed powder, Garam masala, coriander seed powder,salt - to taste 

Red food color-  A pinch , optional

Lemon juice and cilantro- for garnish

PROCEDURE:

1.Marinate the baby corn with all the above ingredients for 30-60 minutes.

2. Deep fry in oil. Garnish with lemon juice and cilantro.

Arisi Paruppu Sadam- Kovai Special

This is a Coimbatore district special and favorite. Almost like sambar sadam but with a little more flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

Toor dal- 1 cup
Rice- 1.5 cups
Onions- 1 medium, chopped fine
Tomatoes- Equal amount, 2 nos, chopped
Garlic- 2 tbsp, peeled and minced/crushed
Green chillies- 4 nos, slit
Fennel seeds- 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder, Sambar Powder- To taste
Curry Leaves- A few
Cilantro- To garnish

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash the toor dal and rice and separately and keep aside.
2. In a rice cooker, add oil, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves and allow to splutter.
3. Add chopped onions and crushed garlic and saute till golden. Add green chillies and mix and then add tomatoes till well cooked.
4. Add the masala powders and salt and now add the rice and mix well.
5. Now add the toor dal and water in the proportion 1:2 which will be 5 cups of water and close the lid.Allow to pressure cook till well done.
6. Open the cooker and add some ghee and cilantro for garnish.
7. Serve hot with vadakam and any vegetable side dish of your choice but typically served with drum stick masala.

Rava (Semolina Kesari)

INGREDIENTS:

Rava- 1 cup
Milk- 1 cup
Water-1.5 cups
Sugar- 1.5 cups
Ghee- Enough to make the kesari smooth consistency
Cashew nuts- Handful
Craisins/Raisins- 1 tbsp appr
Almonds- Optional, 1 tbsp or more
Cardamom powder- 1 tbsp depending on the strength of the powder
Kesari powder- Optional, a dash for color.  Tamil people are used to the orange color for kesari.
Saffron- A pinch for garnish.

PROCEDURE:

1. In a pot with a little ghee, fry the rava until raw smell is gone and keep aside.
2. In the same pot, add a tbsp ghee and roast the nuts and craisins/raisins and cardamom powder until done and keep aside.
3. In the same pot, add one tbsp of ghee or more again and add milk and water and bring it to a boil. Add the color powder and mix.
4. Now add the fried rava and mix till smooth. Add more ghee if there are lumps. Thats the secret for a good consistency.
5. Mix the sugar and keep stirring until the kesari does not stick to the sides of the pot and moves freely from the edges.
6. Add the roasted nuts and craisins/raisins and mix well. Turn off stove and garnish with saffron.Serve hot.

Green tomato Ghosthu/Sabji

INGREDIENTS:

Green Tomatoes- 6 or 7 medium nos, cubed into small pieces
Garlic- 3 or 4 pods, finely chopped
Green chillies- 7 or 8 depending on your spice level
Curry leaves- A few
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
Coriander seed powder(daniya powder)-1 tsp
Sugar/Jaggery- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds-1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Asafoetida or Hing- Few puffs

PROCEDURE:

1.  In a pot, add a couple of tbsp of oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves. Allow to splutter.
2. Add the garlic pieces and green chillies and saute.
3. Add the cubed green tomatoes and all the spice powders and sugar for the tartness and some hot water and allow to cook well for 15-20 minutes.
4. Garnish with some cilantro and serve with hot dosas, chapathis or idlies.
   

Rava Laddoo

INGREDIENT:

Rava or semolina- 2.5 cups
Sugar- 2 cups
Ghee-For roasting rava,cashewnuts, raisins
Cashewnuts-A handful
Raisins- A handful
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

PROCEDURE:

1. In a hot pan, add a tbsp of ghee and add the rava. Roast until golden color and raw smell is gone.
2. Keep aside and allow to cool.
3. In the same pan, add ghee and roast cashew nuts and raisins and add cardamom powder.
4. In a mixie, dry grind the roasted rava to a fine powder and keep aside. Now grind the sugar into a fine powder. 
5. Mix the rava, sugar, cashew nuts and raisins and make laddoos with your hands. Add ghee to be able to make a laddoo.

Veg Chili with quinoa- SLOW COOKER-INDIAN STYLE

INGREDIENTS:

Onion- 1 small, cubed
Can of diced tomatoes and chillies-1
Can of triblend beans (Kidney beans, Pinto beans and Garbanzo beans)-1
Tomato Puree- 2 tbsp
Zucchini- 1 no, cubed
Yellow Squash- 1no, cubed
Green bell pepper- 1/2 no, cubed
Red bell pepper- 1/2 no, cubed
Garlic- 6-8 nos, cubed
Veg broth- 1 box
Baby Carrots- 4-6 nos, cubed
Green chillies- 1 or more depending on spice level
Quinoa- 1 cup, soaked in water for 1-2 hours
Cilantro- handful, chopped

Spice Powders:
Olive Oil- 2 tbsp
Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Coriander  seed powder- 1 tsp
Garam Masala- 1 tsp
Salt-to taste
Turmeric Powder-1/4 tsp

Garnish:
 Sour cream
Green onions- chopped
Corn bread

PROCEDURE:

1. Turn on the slow cooker to high. Add all the ingredients except spice powder. Add water if needed depending on how much veggies you have.Let it cook for 2-3 hours.
2. Change setting to low and allow to cook over night for about 8 hours.
3. Now add all the spices and salt and allow to slow cook for 1-2 hours or leave it in warm until you want to serve.
4. Serve with shredded cheese (optional), sour cream and cut green onions. You can eat with corn bread or as is. If you want soupy texture, add more broth.