Beerakaya podi Kura (Ridge gourd curry)

This is a dry curry to which can be eaten with rice or rotis.

Ingredients

4 tbsp toor dal (tuvar dal/yellow pigeon pea)

2 cups chopped ridge gourd

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 green chillies slit length wise

salt to taste

grated coconut (optional)

for tempering

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp oil

a handful of curry leaves

Preparation

In a pan add 1/2 cup of water, toor dal and turmeric and cook till its get soft on low heat. There will be very little water left.

In another pan temper with the given ingredients and add ridge gourd, greenchillies and salt. Cook without covering the pan on medium heat till the ridge gourd gets soft. Add the toor dal and cook for some more time till all the moisture gets dried up. Serve warm.

Imarti /Jangiri

I thank Raks for making me create a milestone in my kitchen by trying out two great Indian Sweets - Rasgulla and Jangiris/Imarti for this Diwali. It is a real achievement to create such traditional sweets in your own kitchen.


Ingredients

1 cup Split black gram skinless/whole white urad dal
1/4 tsp Rice flour (optional)
1/2 pinch of Orange food colour 1/2 pinch
a dash of salt

For Sugar syrup:

5 cups of Sugar
water just to immerse the sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
6 drops of Rose essence
a pinch of orange food colour
1 tsp green cardamom powder



Preparation
Soak urad dal for 2 hrs. Drain and grind with very little water as we do for grinding vadas.The batter should be fluffy and smooth.
Add a dash of salt, food colour and rice flour(makes the imritis crispy) and mix well.
Heat sugar with water just to immerse it. Boil till a syrup of single-thread consistency is reached. Add lemon juice, food colour and rose essence and cardamom powder, mix well and switch off the stove. Keep the syrup hot. Take a zip lock cover or a any plastic cover and make a hole.The hole should be very tiny.
Fill half the cover with the batter and first practice doing on a plate. Draw two circle first and draw small swirl like circles over it.Just needs a little practice to get the right shape:)



Then heat oil in a flat bottomed pan with low heat where oil should be of 1 inch depth.
The oil should not get fully heated,when it starts forming small bubbles in the bottom,then draw jangiris/imarti in the oil,repeat the same to make many.



Once the jangiris/imarti gets cooked and becomes light,turn over and cook till crisp and then take out carefully and transfer to the sugar syrup.






Dunk the fried jangiris/imarti in hot sugar syrup for 1-2 minutes till they have absorbed enough syrup and take out carefully and arrange it a plate.Give a 1/2 hour standing time (says Raks). But I could not wait to taste:)

Instant Cashew Rabdi (Rabri)

I made this as Neivedyam for Goddess Lakshmi during Diwali. It tastes divine!

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
10 cashew nuts
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
2 tbsp khoya
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp Cardamom powder
Almonds for garnish

Preparation

Grind coconut and cashew nuts into paste with very little water and set aside. Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan and add the coconut-cashew mix to it. On low heat keep stirring for 2 minutes till the mixture slightly cooks. To this add sugar, Khoya, cardamom powder and ghee. Keep stirring for 10-12 minutes, till the mixture thickens and all the ingredients blend well. Garnish with almonds and serve warm!!