INSTANT HALWA (Kugan )

INSTANT HALWA

Ingredients:

1 cup corn flour
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups of water
1 tbs chopped roasted cashew nuts
2 tbs ghee
Little cardamom powder
Little food colouring

Method:

In a bowl, mix the corn flour, water, sugar.
See that there are no lumps.
Add in the roasted cashew nuts, cardamom powder and food colouring.
Mix every thing nicely.

Now pour the mixture in a non-stick pan.
Put the pan on the stove, only then you light your stove.
Keep on stirring, on a low flame till the mixture thickens.
You can see bubbles at the sides of the cooking pan.

This halwa, will not leave the sides and roll into ball like the normal halwa.
Add in the ghee, you can add a bit more if you like.
Pour the mixture into a greased plate.
Let it cool nicely, or you can keep it in the fridge for some time.

Now you can slice it according to your wish.
Even though, this halwa cannot be equal to our origional halwa.
The taste is good for a quick halwa.

SINGAPORE UDIPI SAMBAR ( Kugan )

SINGAPORE UDIPI SAMBAR

Ingredients:

1 tbs oil
Little asafoetida 
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 green chillie, slit into 4 and cut across
2 sprigs curry leaves

10 shallots peeled, whole
2 drumsticks, cut into 3 inches in length
¼ tsp tumeric powder
½ cup of water

1 lime sized ball of tamarind, soaked in 1 cup of water
1 tsp jaggery
Salt to taste
1 ½ cups of water

½ cup toor dal cooked in 3 cups of water and mashed well.

Roast and grind to a paste:
1 tsp oil
1 ½ tsp coriander seeds
6 dried red chillies
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp urad dal
2 tbs coconut grated
1 sprig curry leaves

Little cut coriander leaves.

Method:

Heat a pot with the oil, add in the tempering ingredients.
Add in the whole shallots, saute for a minute, add in the drumsticks.
Add in the water, tumeric powder and cook till just tender.

Pour in the tamarind pulp, salt to taste and jaggery.
Add in the water, lower the flame and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add in the cooked mashed toor dal, and the masala paste.

Simmer for another 5 minutes. Add more water if you find the sambar very thick.
Boil for few minutes and remove. Garnish with cut coriander leaves.

EGGLESS PINEAPPLE CAKE ( Kugan )

EGGLESS PINEAPPLE CAKE

Ingredients:

½ cup butter
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup milk

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

1 cup finely chopped pineapple pieces
1 tsp pineapple essence
2 tbs pineapple juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
Grease a cake pan and line with parchment paper.
Sieve together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt.

In a bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar till creamy.
Now add in the milk and whish again.

Now add in the flour and gently fold in everything.
Lastly add in the pineapple essence and the pineapple pieces.
Fold again, now pour the mixture into the greased tin.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or when fully cooked.
Cool for few minutes, transfer the cake on to a plate.
Brush the top of the cake with the pineapple juice, while still hot.
Let it cool before slicing the cake.

EGGLESS MILK CAKE (Aarthii)

Milk cake without eggs



Dev ,neenga ethir pakara cake idhuvanu ennkau theriyala.But this cake is really very yummy without icing as well as it has a very nice orange flavour

Ingredients 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 can sweetened condensed milk (400 ml) 

1 cup orange juice (Fresh)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. 
Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda. Make a well in the center and pour in the sweetened condensed milk, orange juice, vanilla and melted butter. Mix well and pour into prepared pan. 
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool. 

I have tired this several times,and it was a hit always.Try and see !

SUGARED COFFEE COOKIES (Kugan)

SUGARED COFFEE COOKIES

Ingredients:

3 tbs instant coffee powder
2 tbs hot water

4 cups of all purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

2/3 cups of soft butter
¾ cup of light brown sugar
1 tbs flaxseed powder + 3 tbs water
2 tbs milk
2 tsp vanilla essence

Little granulated sugar

Method:
Grease a cookie sheet, preheat the oven tp 200 degrees C.
Mix the instand coffee with the hot water, keep aside.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Keep aside.
Cream the butter and sugar till creamy.

Add in the flaxseed mixture and mix well.
Add in the milk, vanilla essence and the coffee mixture.
Add in the flour and mix it to a nice dough.
Add little milk if your dough is very stiff.
Make small balls with the dough. Dip it in the sugar.

Place it on the greased tray, press down with a fork.
Do same to the rest of the dough.
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack, after cooled, store in an airtight container.

EGGLESS CUSTARD CAKE (Kugan )

EGGLESS CUSTARD CAKE

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
1 ¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda

1 ½ cup of milk
¾ cup of caster sugar
1/3 cup of custard flour
100 grms of softened butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup chopped almonds

Method:
Grease a 7 inch baking pan, line with a parchment paper.
Heat oven to 150 degrees C.

Sieve together the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a mixing bowl.
Heat the milk, in a pan, when it is hot enough, add in the sugar.
Once the sugar is dissolved, remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
Add in the custard powder and mix well.

Now add in the butter, and mix do not worry if the mixture is lumpy.
Now add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, and mix well.
Do not over beat the mixture, add in the vanilla essence, and nuts.
Just fold the mixture and pour it into the greased baking pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes or till a cake tester comes out clean.
Or till the cake is cooked. Remove and rest for 10 minutes,
Before removing the greased paper, cool on a rack till well cooled.
You can ice the cake, or just have it like that.

INSTANT HALWA (Kugan )

INSTANT HALWA

Ingredients:

1 cup corn flour
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups of water
1 tbs chopped roasted cashew nuts
2 tbs ghee
Little cardamom powder
Little food colouring

Method:

In a bowl, mix the corn flour, water, sugar.
See that there are no lumps.
Add in the roasted cashew nuts, cardamom powder and food colouring.
Mix every thing nicely.

Now pour the mixture in a non-stick pan.
Put the pan on the stove, only then you light your stove.
Keep on stirring, on a low flame till the mixture thickens.
You can see bubbles at the sides of the cooking pan.

This halwa, will not leave the sides and roll into ball like the normal halwa.
Add in the ghee, you can add a bit more if you like.
Pour the mixture into a greased plate.
Let it cool nicely, or you can keep it in the fridge for some time.

Now you can slice it according to your wish.
Even though, this halwa cannot be equal to our origional halwa.
The taste is good for a quick halwa.

Kandathippilli Rasam V_S

Here the recipe of Kandathippilli Rasam which my wife use to make:

Ingredients:

Kandathippili - 2 sticks
Arisithippili - 3 sticks
Garlic - 6 pods.
Thoor Dal - 1 tsp.
Pepper - 1 tsp
Red Chillis - 3nos.
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Tamarind - lemon size.
Tomato - 1 small
Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp.
asafoetida - few sprinkles
ghee - 1 tsp

For Seasoning:
curry leaves - 4-5 leaves
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
cuming seeds - 1/2 tsp.
ghee - 1 tsp

Salt to taste.

Preparation:
1. Heat the pan and fry kandathippili, arisithippili in 1 tsp ghee. Then remove it and take it in another plate.
2. Fry Thoor dal, pepper, red chilli, coriander seeds and garlic pods using the same ghee above.
3. Grind all the above to thick fine paste with little water.
4. Prepare tamarind pulp (2 cups). Add tomato, salt, asafoetida and sambar powder to the tamarind pulp.
5. Let the mixture boil for 10-12 minutes in medium flame.
6. Add the ground paste (step 3) and boil for a minute.
7. Add some more water and let it come to a froth.
8. Season with mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves in ghee.
9. Remove it from the flame and the rasam is read to be served.

It is almost same as your recipe except we add tomato, arisithippili, garlic and little sambar powder, but these are optional. Hope you all like it. 
After Saturday/Sunday oil shower, with this rasam, nothing like that. 

THE SPREAD ( Kugan )

PAN FRIED SPICY BRINJALS ( Kugan )

PAN FRIED SPICY BRINJALS

Ingredients:

3 tbs oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp funugreek seeds
1 big onion sliced
½ inch ginger cut into strips
4 dry red chillies, cut into small pices
300 grms brinjals , slit into 4 and cut into ½ inch in length
1 tomato chopped
1 tsp chillie powder

Salt to taste
1 tbs lime juice
Little coriander leaves chopped

Method:
Heat the oil in a non -stick pan.
Add in the mustard and funugreek seeds, let them crackle.
Add in the onions, ginger and the dry red chillies.
Stir fry for a minute, add in the cut brinjals.

Pan fry the brinjals well in the oil till they are ¾ cooked.
Add in the tomatoes, salt and the chillie powder.
Cook till the tomatoes are mushy and the brinja;ls are cooked well.
Off the stove , and add the lime juice to taste.

Garnish with the cut coriander leaves.
Goes well with rice or roti.