Rava Laddu

Ingredients:

1.      Fine Rava/Soojii   - 2 cups

2.      Sugar  - 2 cups

3.      Ghee – 30 gms

4.      Milk – 30 ml (As required)

5.      Cardamom powder – pinch

6.      Raisins  - 20

7.      Cashews - 20

How to make it :

1. Take a pan and add 2 spoons of ghee and roast the cashews until light brown and also roast the raisins until they puff up and keep them aside
2. Now add the remaining ghee and roast the rava/soojii until a nice aroma comes. Make sure you do not burn the rava.
3. Transfer this into a big bowl and add the cardamom and the nuts and sugar and mix well.
4. Then add milk as required so that it is in a consistency to make perfect balls. Don’t add too much or too little.
5. You can also transfer the above mix to the kadai and cook it for 2 mins in low flame, but I didn’t do that as my consistency was good for making  the ladoo.
6. Make the laddoo  and let them dry for some time and then store it in a container and put it in the refrigerator

Murukku (Diwali Special)



Ingredients:

1.       Rice flour – 3 cups

2.      Bengal Gram (Pottu kadalai)/ roasted gram flour – 1 cup

3.      Chilli powder – 2 spoons (as required)

4.      Roasted urad flour – 3 to 4 spoons

5.      Salt as per taste

6.      Ajwain seeds – 1 spoon

7.      Sesame seeds – 1 spoon

8.      Butter – ½ to  ¾ stick

How to make it :

1. Soak rice for   2 – 3  hours and grind it with little water as possible or use rice flour from Indian stores. I did it the traditional way.
2. Grind and sieve Bengal gram or use roasted gram power.
3. Ghee roast the urad dhal flour until aroma comes and let is cool and grind it to fine powder and seive it.
4. Take a big bowl and mix all the above with salt and chilli powder and the ajwain/sesame seeds and mix it well.
5. Take the mix in the murrukku machine and squeeze it into desired shapes and designs with various plates.
6. Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the murukku until its cooked. Let it cool for some time and store it in a air tight container.
7. Enjoy diwali with tasty murukku. Happy Diwali



Bean Coconut Curry

Ingredients :

1.      Vegetable oil                         - 2 tablespoons

2.      Cumin seeds                         - 1 tablespoon

3.      Black mustard seeds            - 1 teaspoon

4.      Cloves                                   - 5 whole

5.      Grated fresh ginger              - 2 tablespoon

6.      Grated fresh garlic (3-4 large cloves) - 1 tablespoon

7.      Onion sliced thin                    - 1 large

8.      Salt                                         -   (As required)

9.      Sugar                                     - 2 teaspoons

10.     ground cumin                         - 1 teaspoon

11.     turmeric                                 – 1/4 teaspoon

12.     Chilli powder                         -  1/2 teaspoon (or to taste)-

13.     Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup

14.     Tomato                                - 1 chopped

15.     1/2 red bell pepper sliced

16.     1 pound fresh green beans trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces

17.     1/3 cup vegetable stock (or water)

18.     1/4 cup plain yogurt

19.     minced cilantro for garnish

How to make it :

1.  Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, and cloves. Stir around until the spices start to make a crackling noise. Add the garlic and ginger and give it a coupe stirs. Add the onion, salt and sugar, turn down the heat to medium low and fry stirring periodically until the onions are soft and starting to brown.

2.  Add the cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, coconut, tomato, bell pepper green beans and stock and stir to combine. Partially cover with a lid and cook until the green beans are tender (about 15-20 minutes). You want them cooked longer than if you were just blanching them so they absorb the flavor of the curry, but they shouldn’t be mushy either.

3.  When the green beans are done, taste for salt and spice and adjust as needed. When the flavor is to your liking, turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt. Top the green bean curry with minced cilantro and serve immediately with some basmati rice or roti/naan.