Sweet Pongal with Brown Rice Poha

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice poha (Flattened rice)
1 cup moong dal
1 cup Jaggery
3-4 tbsp ghee
3 tsp cashewnuts
3 tsp raisins
3 tsp grated fresh coconut
almonds and walnuts to garnish

Preparation

Wash the poha, drain and set aside. Wash moong dal and Pressure cook it adding 3 cups of water for 3 whistles.
Melt the Jaggery in a pan with very little water (1/2 cup ) and strain it to remove the impurities.
In a pan add 1 tsp ghee and fry the nuts and raisins till golden. Set aside.
In a bowl add poha, dal and jaggery and mix well. Heat a heavy bottomed pan with remaining ghee and add the poha mixture. If you like you can add 1/2 cup milk. I did not do that. If you feel the pongal is too dry you can add 1/2 cup of water. Add the dry fruits and  grated coconut. Serve hot.

This recipe can be made very quickly especially during festivals like Sankranti, Vasant panchami etc. and can be offered to God.

Baghare Baingan

Ingredients

250 grams small brinjals
2 medium onions, quartered
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp peanuts
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp grated dried coconut
a pinch of fenugreek seeds
1 inch ginger, roughly chopped
6-8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
salt to taste
a pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp grated jaggery or sugar
2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1/2 cup olive oil
1 sprig curry leaves
fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation
Wash brinjals and wipe them clean with dry cloth. Make slit along the length taking care that the brinjal is held together at the stem. In a wide pan, add 2-4 tbsp oil and fry the brinjals till half cooked and soft from inside. Take care not to toss them too much as they tend to break. Set aside. In a pan add 1 tsp oil and roast the onions till they turn light brown and soften. Set aside. Dry roast coriander seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, dried coconut and fenugreek seeds separately, till they begin to change colour and give out a nice aroma. Grind together roasted onions, roasted spices, ginger, garlic, salt turmeric powder, chilli powder and jaggery to a fine paste (2-3 tbsp water can be added to make the paste). Add tamarind pulp and mix well.

In a pan add 2-3 tbsp oil , add curry leaves and saute. Add the gravy to the pan and slighty bring to boil till the oil comes out of the gravy. Add the brinjals to this and simmer. If the gravy is too thick, water can be added as desired. Cook till the oil comes to the surface, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot. If you feel the gravy is too sweet, you can add some more red chilli powder or green chillies and some extra tamarind pulp!

This recipe is inspired from Chef Sanjeev Kapoor.
When ever I cook brinjals directly in any gravy base they never get cooked from inside. So I made some changes and precooked the brinjals and added them to the gravy.
Sending this recipe to "I must make that " Contest hosted by my very dear friend Pallavi of "A cook at Heart". She also has an amazing giveaway from Cuponation!

Britannia Masala Buttermilk (Chaas) Review

To replicate the experience of homemade chaas, Britannia Masala Chaas has natural ingredients like Jeera, Curry Leaves and Ginger added to it giving it the authentic homemade taste and feel.
It is best had chilled and leaves you with a “cool ehsaas”. I just garnished it with some pistachios, fresh mint, coriander leaves and some crushed ginger. When kids came from school they felt very refreshing and enjoyed drinking it. It can also be packed along with snack to school for kids. Its a great product as summer is approaching. I would definitely keep one in my handbag too....

About Britannia Masala Chaas Launch

Speaking at the launch , Mr. Ashok Namboodiri, Head – Dairy Business, Britannia Industries Ltd., said “ Chaas has been an integral part of India’s cuisine, no meal is complete without a glass of buttermilk. Packaged Chaas has emerged as a fast growing category driven by convenience, consistent taste and new age lifestyle. There is a strong preference and shift seen towards usage of convenient, ready to use, foods as people do not want to invest time in preparing them. Britannia Masala Chaas offers the same experience without the “ jhanjhat” of preparing it. Secondly, there is also a trend emerging of substituting carbonated high calorie drinks with low calorie healthy drinks and Dairy Drinks, which Britannia is targeting.
“Britannia Masala Chaas” also marks the extension of Britannia into F&B outlets where a large part of “Out of Home” consumption happens."
The “Masala Chaas” comes in attractive and convenient packaging which is easy to carry and can be had on the go as compared to other existing formats.  The shelf life is 4 months before opening and can be stored in an ambient environment. Britannia Masala Chaas will be priced at Rs 15/- per 150 ml pack.
This launch further enhances Britannia’s active foray into healthy milk based products. and adds to building the Britannia credo of “Drink Healthy, Think Better”.
Britannia Masala Chaas will be initially launched across Modern Trade outlets across major Cities in India.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a paid review. The opinions and thoughts mentioned in the post are purely mine and done by tasting the sample sent.