Badam Kheer (பாதாம் பருப்பு பாயசம்)

The festival season has started and it is time to try different sweet recipes to enhance the festivities! Here's the popular kheer or payasam recipe that has a subtle taste.

Ingredients:

Milk - 750 ml, preferably full cream milk*

Sugar - half a cup or 100 ml measure (adjust to taste)

Almonds - half a cup or 100 ml measure

Almond slices - 2 tablespoons

Saffron - a few strands

Cardamom - 2 no, powdered

* You can, however, use any type of milk such as toned milk, standardized milk etc.

Method:

• Soak almonds in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Later simply squeeze the almond to separate the skin. 
• Grind the almond nuts with required water in a mixer-grinder to form a smooth paste. Keep aside.
• Roast almond slices in a kadai on low flame till they start to turn light brown in color. Transfer to a bowl. 
• Bring the milk to boil in a thick bottomed vessel on low flame. Dilute almond paste in little water and add to the boiling milk slowly, while stirring continuously. Simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add in saffron strands, cardomom powder and sugar. Mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Switch off the stove. Cool to room temperature. You may refrigerate the kheer and serve chilled.
• Garnish with roasted almond slices before serving.

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Scones

Today I wish to share a special baking recipe with you. It is easy-to-make, simple and yummy 😋 tea time snack! Let's get started.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour or maida -160 ml measure

Semolina or rava - 1 teaspoon

Coconut oil - 2 tablespoons

Curds - 80 ml measure

Baking powder - ¼ teaspoon 

Baking soda - ¼ teaspoon 

Vanilla essence - ½ teaspoon

Sugar - 4 teaspoons

Salt - a pinch

Milk - for glazing

* You may add 1 tablespoon of raisins or caramel bits to the batter if desired.

Method:

• Sieve together all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda very well.
• Add in coconut oil and blend in with your fingers till the flour mix becomes a crumble.
• Beat curds, sugar, salt and vanilla essence in a bowl very well. Add in the flour mix and semolina. 
• Blend together to form a soft dough. At this stage you may add raisins or caramel bits as desired. 
• Divide the dough into four equal parts. Dust the work surface with flour, fold one portion of the dough a couple of times and then shape it into a disc. Repeat the process with the remaining portions. 
• Grease a muffin tray with oil and place a disc in each of the depressions. 
• Alternatively, you may place a cupcake liner in the the depressions of the muffin tray and fill the cupcake liners with one part of the dough.
• Brush milk on top of the scones for glazing.
• Bake at 200℃ for 10-15 minutes or till the top turns golden brown in color.
• De-mould the scones and serve with butter and jam or preserve of your choice.

                                         Scones baked with caramel bits in cupcake liners!

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Buddha Bowl - Option 2

As I have mentioned in my earlier post, there is no limitation on the variety of ingredients you could use to make a Buddha Bowl. Today, let me share with you the Buddha bowl I made recently with a different set of ingredients.

Ingredients: (Makes 4 bowls)

Whole grain 

Broken wheat or wheat rava - ½ cup 

Plant protein 

Whole urad dhal - 1 cup 

Channa dhal - 2 tablespoons

Rajma - ¼ cup

Sauce

Instead of making a separate sauce, I made dhal makhani to replace protein in sauce!

Vegetables

1. Sauteed vegetables 

Sweet potato - large, 1 no, cut into thick slices

Carrots - 2 no, cut into sticks

Onion - 1 no, large, cut into thick slices 

Capsicum - 1 no, cubed

Black sesame seeds - 1 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Ground pepper - ¼ teaspoon

Oil - 1 tablespoon

2. Steamed vegetables

Green peas - ½ cup

Cauliflower florets - 1 cup

Yellow pumpkin - peeled and cubed , 1 cup

Salt - to taste

Ground pepper - ¼ teaspoon

3. Salad

Cucumber - 2 no, cut into cubes

Sweet corn kernels - ½ cup

I used the curd dressing for the salad

Greens

Lettuce - large leaves, 8 no

Nuts and seeds

Pumpkin seeds - 1 tablespoon

Method:

Whole grain

Wash the broken wheat well and cook with 1 cup of water in a rice cooker. Keep aside.

Plant protein and Sauce

Click here to view the recipe of dhal makhani.

Sauteed vegetables

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add in black sesame seeds, and when they start to crackle, place the onion slices and capsicum cubes in the pan. Cook on low flame till onion slices and capsicum start to turn light brown. Transfer to a bowl.
• Now place sweet potato slices and carrot sticks in the pan. Sprinkle salt and ground pepper on top. Cover and cook on low flame till the vegetables are cooked and start to turn golden brown. Switch off the heat.

Steamed vegetables

• Steam green peas, cauliflower florets and yellow pumpkin cubes in a steamer till the vegetables are cooked. Sprinkle salt and ground pepper on top. Keep aside.

Salad

Click here for curd dressing recipe. Add sweet corn and cucumber to the curd dressing. Let it stand for 30 minutes.

Greens

Wash and chill the lettuce leaves in the refrigerator.

Nuts and seeds

Dry roast pumpkin seeds in a kadai for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Preparing the Buddha bowl

The quantity specified here makes 4 portions. Hence, use a quarter of all items to prepare one bowl. First place lettuce leaves at the bottom of the bowl. Place cooked wheat rava in the bowl. Top it with dal makhani. Surround it with sauteed vegetables, steamed vegetables, salad in curd dressing. Sprinkle roasted pumpkin seeds on top. Your Buddha bowl is ready! Enjoy!

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Dhal Makhani

Dhal makhani is one of the protein rich side dishes that you can serve with chapati, roti, naan , paratha or poori. The main ingredient of this dish is whole black gram, which contains 25 gram of protein and 18 grams of fiber per 100 grams. Let us make this simple recipe today.

Ingredients:

Whole black gram - 1 cup

Bengal gram dhal - 2 tablespoons

Rajma - ¼ cup

Curds - ½ cup

Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon

Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon

Garam masala - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon

Kasuri methi - 1 tablespoon, roasted and crushed

Butter or ghee - 1 tablespoon

Cream - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Salt - to taste

For the masala paste:

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic - 3 pods

Tomato - 4 no, cubed

Onion - 3 no, cubed 

Oil - 2 teaspoons

Cashew nuts - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Kashmiri chili - 1-2 no, adjust to taste

Method: 

• Wash and soak black gram dhal, rajma and Bengal gram dhal in water over night. Next morning wash again and pressure cook for 15 minutes. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai; add in Kashmiri chili and fry till they turn darker. Then add onion cubes, and sauté till they turn transparent. Add in garlic pods and sauté for 2 minutes. Allow the ingredients to cool. 
• Grind the fried items, tomato, cashew nuts and ginger into a fine paste.
• Heat 2 teaspoons of butter or ghee in the kadai; add in the masala paste and fry for a minute. Cover and cook on low flame till oil separates.
• Mash the cooked dhals together and add to the kadai. Mix well. Add in required salt and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Beat the curds well. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and kasuri methi. Mix very well and add to the cooking dhal. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. 
• Decorate with cream and 1 teaspoon of butter. Serve hot with roti or chapati.

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Plantain Flower Curry (வாழைப்பூ கறி)

Plantain flower or banana flower (வாழைப்பூ) is an edible part of the plantain tree, like the plantain stem and is used to make several dishes in the traditional South Indian cuisine. It is rich in fiber, low on calories and contains minerals, antioxidants and essential amino acids. Today I wish to share a traditional curry made with plantain flower.

Ingredients:

Plantain flower - cut into small bits, 2 cups

Coconut - grated, 2 tablespoons

Kashmiri chili - 1-2, broken into pieces (adjust to taste)

Turmeric powder - ¼ teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Asafoetida - a generous pinch

Oil - 2 teaspoons

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Split urad dhal - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - a few

Jaggery powder - ½ teaspoon

Butter milk - 1 small hollow ladle or 50 ml

How to clean and cut the plantain flower:

Under each layer of purplish brown skin of  plantain flower, you will find neatly arranged yellowish white florets. Discard the covering purplish brown skin. Separate the florets. Remove the thick central stamen (கள்ளன்) from each floret. Add a ladle of butter milk to half a liter of water. Keep this mixture ready before starting to cut the florets. Cut the florets into tiny bits and add them to the buttermilk mixture. Keep aside.

Method: Heat oil in a kadai, add in Kashmiri chili pieces. When they turn darker in color, add mustard seeds. When the seeds start to crackle, add in split urad dhal. When the dhal turns golden brown in color, add asafoetida. Strain the cut plantain flower in the buttermilk mixture through a colander and add the vegetable to the kadai. Add in salt, jaggery powder and turmeric powder. Add 2 tablespoons of water and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame till the vegetable is cooked well and the fluid is fully absorbed. Add grated coconut and mix well. Sauté for a minute and garnish with curry leaves. Plantain flower curry is ready! Serve hot with rice and sambar or rasam.

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