GOTTU RASAM

Gottu Rasam.This Rasam is simple to prepare, with no ingredients except tamarind, Rasam powder and water. Gottu Rasam is basically rasam minus toor dal. This is a quick and easy instant rasam which can be prepared in emergency, if you come back after a trip and there is nothing in the house, except the basic spices.

Ingredients
Tamarind Juice – 2-3 tablespoons
Rasam powder - 2 tspsMustard seeds – 1tspCumin seeds – 1 tspCrushed Pepper – 1 tspAsafetida - a PinchSalt as per taste
Ghee – 1 tbspCurry leaves – a sprigCoriander leaves for garnishing

Method
Take tamarind juice in a pan, add salt, rasam powder, crushed pepper powder,and a pinch of asafetida and allow to boil till the raw smell of the tamarind is gone

Heat 1 tablespoon of Ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Fry till the mustard seeds pop. Add curry leaves, let it fry, pour this seasoning on top of the rasam.
Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and remove from flame.
Serve with hot rice and pappads. Or can also be served as an appetizer.

PUNJABI SAMOSA

PUNJABI SAMOSA
This would be my all time favorite tea-time snack. Hot crispy Samosa with a heavenly potato-peas mixture dunked into chutney.
Ingredients
For cover:
1 cup plain flour (Maida)
2 tbsp. warm oil
Water to knead dough
Ajwain seeds (Bishop’s weed) – ¼ tsp
For filling:
Potatoes large boiled, peeled, mashed - 4 -5
Green peas - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2 -3
Ginger - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander finely chopped - 1 tbsp.
Coriander seeds crushed - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds crushed – ½ tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp.
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander leaves chopped finely – 1tbsp
Oil to deep fry
Method
For dough:
Make a well in the flour. Add oil, salt, toasted bishop’s weed (ajwain seeds) and little water. Mix well till crumbly. Add more water little by little, kneading into soft pliable dough. Cover with moist cloth, keep aside for 15-20 minutes. Beat dough on work surface and knead again. Re-cover.
For filling:
Make a paste of the green chilly and ginger. Heat 3 tbsps. oil, add coriander seeds & cumin seeds and fry then add ginger-green chilly paste, saute till light brown. Now add the Garam Masala and salt to the pan and then add the green peas, let it get cooked thoroughly then add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Check for salt and spice, if required add at this point and mix well, add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Wait for the mixture to cool down.
How to make the samosas :
Make a small puri with the dough. It shouldn’t be too thick. In the centre of this puri, add the filling. Now take the left side flap and the right side flap and make a cone. Now take the filling mixture and put into the cone. Keep on a flat surface, then with the bottom portion pull and seal on top enclosing both the left and right side flaps, now with your index finger press on, until it’s sealed and keep aside. Make all the samosas and then start frying.
To Fry:
Heat the oil. Once the oil is hot, keep the gas on sim and start dropping the samosas one by one, deep fry on a low flame until the samosas are light brown. If you fry on a high flame, the samosas will turn out oily and soggy. Drain on a kitchen towel.
Serve hot with green and tamarind chutneys (refer chutneys and sauces section of my blog), or tomato sauce.

PINEAPPLE PULISSERY

PULISSERY
Puli means sour. Pulissery is a sweet and sour Kerala dish, prepared in a coconut and yogurt gravy. Pulissery is usually made with fruits. I have shown different variations of the Pulissery here. It is also made with Pumpkin, Yam(Chenai) or Raw Banana (Vazhakkai). This is one of the truly exotic dishes of Kerala.

PINEAPPLE PULISSERY
Ingredients
Pineapple - 11/2 cup cubed
Coconut - 1 1/2 cup grated
Cumin seeds 1 tspn
Thick yogurt - Curd – 1 cup
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Red chilly powder – 1 ½ tsp
Salt as per taste
Sugar – 1 tsp
Cooking oil -1 tbsn (Can use coconut oil for the typical Kerala feel)
Mustard seeds -1 tspn
Fenugreek seeds – ½ tspn
Curry leaves -1 sprig
Red Chilly - 1-2

Method
Grind coconut, cumin seeds, sugar and salt according to taste together to get a fine paste. Try not to add much water. Keep aside

In a kadhai, boil the pineapple with 1 cup of water, turmeric and red chilly powder. Then reduce heat and cook covered on medium heat. Once the pineapple is done, it shouldn’t get too soft that it can be mashed.

Add the coconut, cumin paste that we prepared earlier and mix well. Allow it to cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add the yogurt and mix well. Keep the gas on a low flame while adding the yogurt. Mix well and boil for a minute or 2 and then switch off the gas.

Meanwhile heat oil in a small pan add mustard seeds and when they crackle add fenugreek seeds, red chilly and fry till the chilly gets plump. Add the curry leaves and pour this seasoning into the Pulissery.

Fry some grated coconut and add to the dish at the end of it. This is the special value addition to the dish.

Different Variations to the Pulissery are :

• MANGO (MAMBAZHA) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Mangoes. Peel and deseed the mango and cut itinto cubes and follow the above method.

• BANANA (PAZHA) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Bananas. Use semi-ripe bananas. Peel and cut the bananas into big chunks and follow the above method.

• ORANGE (NARANGYA) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Oranges (Narangya). Peel and deseed the oranges and follow the above method.
  

• APPLE PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Apples. Peel and deseed the apples and cut them into cubes and follow the above method.
  

• PAPAYA PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Papaya. Use semi-ripe papaya. Peel and deseed the Papaya and cut them into cubes and follow the above method.
  

• ORANGE PUMPKIN (MATTHAN)PULISSERY - Pulissery can also be prepared with Orange Pumpkin(Matthan). Follow the above method. (For the matthan you can retain the skin but if the skin is very thick, u can peel it off)
  

• YAM (CHENAI) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Yam. Peel and cut the yam into cubes and follow the above method.
  

• RAW BANANA (VAZHAKKAI) PULISSERY - Pulissery can be prepared with Raw Banana. Peel and cut the Vazhakkai into cubes follow the above method.

Tomato Rasam

Tomato RasamIngredientsTomatoes – 1-2Tamarind Juice – 2-3 tablespoonsRasam powder - 2 tbspsCooked Toor Dal waterMustard seeds – 1tspCumin seeds – 1 tspCrushed Pepper – 1 tspAsafetida - a Pinch
Salt as per tasteGhee – 1 tbspCurry leaves – a sprigCoriander leaves for garnishing

Method
Cut your tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes, and add the tamarind juice, add salt, rasam powder, the crushed pepper powder, a pinch of asafetida and allow to boil till the tomatoes are soft. You can crush one or 2 pieces of the tomatoes with a karandi(spoon) so that the essence of the tomato enters the rasam nicely.
Add the water of the cooked toor dal. If there isn’t much water settled on top of your cooked toor dal then add some water and mix with the dal and pour the water that settles on top into the rasam. Boil for another 2-3 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon of Ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Fry till the mustard seeds pop. Add curry leaves, let it fry, Pour this seasoning on top of the rasam.
Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and remove from flame.
Serve with hot rice and pappads. Or can also be served as an appetizer.
Tip : Always use ghee for seasoning the rasam. It adds on to the flavor and taste of the rasam. Once you have used ghee for the seasoning you will never use oil again.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS
Wishing all my fellow bloggers a Merry Christmas!!!!!!! It’s Christmas time, time to make chocolates.
Jingle Bells!! Jingle Bells!! Jingle on his way,
Santa Claus is coming along with Chocolates on his tray…..howzattt!!!!!!

Making chocolates at home is a stress busting activity and you can include your kids as well, since this recipe doesn’t involve cooking on gas. My little one helped me in crushing the biscuits and adding the ingredients with much enthusiasm and even helped me in rolling the éclairs. The best part of making chocolates at home is they don’t need to look perfect. If they look perfect you don’t get a homemade feel to it. It looks like you have bought it from a shop.

Ingredients
Glucose biscuits - 20
Cocoa powder - 1 tbsp
Milk Powder – 1 cup
Corn flour - 1 tsp
Condensed milk - 1/2 tin
Butter - 1 tbsp
Vanilla powder – 1 tsp
Milk - 1/4 cup
Walnuts or Cashews - 1 tbsp.
M&M Chocolates for decoration – 1 small packet.

Method
Toast the walnuts or cashews whichever u are using and break them into pieces, it should be like half crushed, half broken. (For those who are allergic to nuts can avoid the nuts in this recipe)
Put glucose biscuits in a zip lock bag and zip it. Now crush it coarsely with a rolling pin. Make a paste of the corn flour, cocoa and half the milk. This is done to ensure that there are no lumps. The paste should be thick, so add milk just enough to make a thick paste and no more. Heat remaining milk to a boil, pour into cocoa paste, mix till well blended.

In a bowl, Empty condensed milk, butter and vanilla powder (if you don’t have vanilla powder you can use vanilla essence about 4-5 drops). Beat till light and blended. Add cocoa milk mixture, blend well. Add crushed biscuits and walnuts, mix well. Apply some butter to your hands and make balls, you can make oval or round shaped balls or peda shaped. Place in a tray on greaseproof paper. If you are not able to roll it well, put in the deep freezer for about 5-7 minutes and the mixture will become thicker for you to be able to make balls of it.
Applying butter gives a glaze to the chocolates.
In some of the rolled chocolates you can place colorful M&M chocolates (which are actually the cadbury Gems of India), this makes it look colorful and appealing to kids.
Now keep in the deep freezer for about half an hour Allow to cool completely. Chill till well set. Serve chilled. Store in refrigerator till required.

LORD KRISHNA OVERTURNS THE MILK CART KILLING DEMON SAKATASURA

LORD KRISHNA OVERTURNS THE MILK CART KILLING DEMON SAKATASURA
There was a great feast at the house of Nanda and Yashodha. Yashodha found that her child had gone off to sleep and so she put him to bed under a cart which contained vessels full of milk, curd and butter.
Kansa had sent Sakatasura to kill baby Krishna. Sakatasura took the form of the cart so that he wont be seen killing the baby. After some time, the child opened his eyes, he was hungry and cried for his milk. As Yashodha was busily engaged in receiving her guests, she did not hear Sri Krishna’s cry. Demon Sakatasura saw this as an opportunity and before anyone would come hearing the little baby cry, he started pressing the baby with the cart with the intention of crushing the little baby as per Kansa’s orders.
Lord Krishna knew this, with just a push of his little foot he kicked the cart. The cart was upset, the wooden wheels were shattered, The axles which are fitted inside the naves of the wheels with iron tubes were broken, the bow yoke which is a shaped wooden crosspiece bound to the necks of a pair of oxen yoke was shattered and the cart was overturned spilling milk, curd and butter on the ground. The pots were shattered and milk started flowing into his mouth. Hearing the noise and cry of the demon everyone came out. The Gopas and Gopis were struck with wonder. They could not believe what their eyes saw. Lord Krishna the baby was drinking the milk falling from the cart into his mouth and there was a dead Asura lying at the other end of the cart.
The boys who were playing there told the Gopas and the Gopis, that the child Krishna while crying had overturned the cart by his kicks.
They did not realize the immeasurable strength of that child. They were wonderstruck that the little baby had so much power as to break and overturn the cart. Yasodha tried to explain away the event as the work of some other demon like Putana trying to injure her dear darling child, Krishna.
Thus Lord Krishna killed the demon Sakatasura by kicking the cart with his tiny feet.

(Picture Courtesy www.Krishna.com)

BENEFITS OF A MASSAGE

Massage Benefits

The literal meaning of 'massage' is manipulation of the soft tissues of the body using the hands. Massage Therapies are directed to eliminate the disease completely, permanently. In Ayurvedic Treatment massage is done in a traditional manner with application of medicated herbal oils. The selection of oil depends on the condition of the subject. Human touch connects one person to another and the feelings shared are healing and energizing emotionally. Some of the benefits of massage are listed below.

Pain Relief: All kinds of pains and muscular aches can be eliminated through massage therapy. It is beneficial in curing rheumatism arthritis, headaches, migraines, chronic back pain. It helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness.

Improved Circulation: Its most important application is that it increases blood circulation, increasing life span and general sense of well being.

Stress Relief: Massage is a great way to reduce the stress in your life. It helps in curing tension-related headaches.

Reducing Blood Pressure: Massage is helpful in decreasing blood pressure in people with hypertension.

Better Sleep: Massage therapy induces a sound sleep for some days. Regular massage relieves mental stress.

Improves Flexibility: It provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion. It relieves muscle tension and stiffness

Athletic Performance: Massage therapy enhances athletic performance. It speeds up healing of injury and prevents further injury.

Strengthens the Immune System: It stimulates the digestive system and activates the urinary system.

Emotional Benefits: Massage is good for healing emotions. It satisfies the need for caring nurturing touch.

Body Awareness: Massage creates body awareness and enhances capacity for calm thinking and creativity.

Massage therapy can soothe pain, relax stiff muscles, and reduce the swelling that accompanies arthritis. Massage and gentle stretching help maintain a joint's range of motion.

If you have osteoarthritis, gentle massage can help ease the pain. Start by putting few drops of Arthcare massage oil on your fingertips. Then work slowly around the affected joint, making small, gentle circles with your fingertips. It's best to avoid massage directly on the joint; stay just above and below it with your fingertips. Work on the area around the joint for three to five minutes each day.

Gentle massage may also help reduce swelling in rheumatoid arthritis. Use the effleurage stroke to work the muscle and tissue around the joint with your fingertips. Make sure you use oil or on your fingers to make the massage more gentle. Work the area for five to ten minutes a day.

Massage can help any pain originating from muscle tension: example - legs, back, neck, and shoulder pain. All can benefit from massage. Releasing tightness and tension in muscles is the most obvious effect of a good massage.

Self Massage: Wonderfully relaxing and energizing at the same time, a daily self-massage with warm oil is easy to do and takes only about 30 minutes. You can do it at home each morning, and reap the benefits of this luxurious therapy all day long.

Ayurvedic texts list a wide range of benefits from regular performance of the warm oil full-body massage:

1. It helps pacify Vata dosha, the space and air elements in the physiology.

Because of our hectic 24/7 lives, most of us have high levels of stress, anxiety, a feeling of being overwhelmed and spaced-out, all indications of an aggravated Vata dosha. Soothing touch is very Vata-pacifying. Warm oil, being warm, smooth and unctuous, is also Vata-pacifying.

2. The massage also helps balance Kapha dosha, the water and earth elements in the physiology.

It enhances circulation throughout the body and revitalizes a lethargic body and mind.

3. With regular performance of the massage, deep-seated toxins in the joints and tissues are loosened and released into the system for elimination through the natural toxin-release processes.

Toxins in the skin are also released, leaving you with clear healthy skin.

PONNANGANNI KEERAI MOLAGOOTAL/KOOTU

PONNANGANNI KEERAI MOLAGOOTAL/KOOTU
Being brought up in a North eastern suburb of Mumbai, I hardly got to see many varieties of Greens. Moving to Singapore post marriage exposed me to a whole new world of Greens, not only greens that came from China which I had never seen in my life, but greens that came from India and Malaysia which are actually consumed by people who hail from Southern India, one such greens is the Ponnanganni Keerai, This is the simple molagootal also known as kootu in Tamilnadu, that is made with the Ponnanganni Keerai. Including greens in your daily diet is very good. Ponnanganni is the tamil word for this variety of the greens. It is known as Mukunawanna, Water amaranth in English, In Malayalam as coluppa, koluppa, minannani, ponnankannikkira, ponnannani. In Kannada as Honagonne/ honagone soppu, In Telugu as ponagantikura, ponna ganti-kura, In Marathi as Kanchari. And In Hindi as Gudrisag.
Every green leafy vegetable has certain nutritional and medicinal values. The Ponnanganni Keerai I learnt improves eye sight, is good for people suffering from Piles, It is good for improving complexion of the skin, Good for loosing weight and general flabbiness. I have clicked a picture of the Ponnanganni keerai for easy identification. Below is the recipe for this nutritious green leafy vegetable.

Ingredients
Ponnanganni Keerai – 1 bunch
Toor Dal – ½ cup
Fresh Grated Coconut -- 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp.
Red chillies - 1-2
Tamarind extract - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric – 1tsp
Asafetida - a pinch
Coconut Oil - 2 tsps
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Udad dal – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

Method
Rinse the toor dal well. Pressure cook it until its soft and keep aside. Pluck out the leaves of the Ponnanganni from its stems. Rinse it well in a colander and chop the leaves.
Heat a kadhai (wok), Add one tablespoon of the coconut oil, when the coconut oil is hot, add the ponnanganni leaves, salt, asafetida and turmeric powder and sauté till the leaves shrink in size, mash well with a spoon, now add the cooked toor dal, mix it well with the cooked ponnanganni leaves, Add some water if required at this stage, let it come to a boil.
In a mixie, blend the freshly grated coconut, cumin seeds and red chillies, Grind until the coconut starts to release the milk. Pour this grounded mixture into the Keerai and toor dal mix. Stir well, allow it to simmer for a minute on low flame. Stir once more. Now, in a small pan, take some coconut oil, add the mustard seeds and when it begins to crackle, add the udad dal, when the dal turns pink pour the seasoning on top, mix well and serve hot with Rice.

Tip : Sautéing the greens in coconut oil enhances its taste.

MATTHA (Spiced Buttermilk from Maharashtra)

MATTHA
Mattha is a spiced buttermilk, this is again another Maharashtrian speciality. The main ingredient of the Mattha is buttermilk. People who save the cream obtained from milk, usually churn the cream to obtain butter, once the butter is scooped out, what remains is the buttermilk, this buttermilk has a unique taste and is not liked by some people, but it is very nutritious, So, spices are added to this buttermilk and lo and behold it becomes the Matttha. The Mattha is generally served before or after a meal, though it can also be had with the meal, and it is thought to help with digestion. It is very good for soothing an upset stomach because it has lactobacilli and it is lower in fat than yoghurt. The Mattha acts as a coolant for the body. It is good to have after a heavy meal, a wedding feast or in hot summer days, to cool your system and help with digestion.

For those who don’t save cream and make butter at home. We can still have mattha by mixing yogurt with water and the spices. Here is the recipe of the Mattha. I have had Mattha in my house which we call as “Kadanja Mor”(Churned Buttermilk) down south. But I got to taste the authentic Maharashtrian Mattha in Pune, thanks to my husband, it was served in earthern mugs, cool and oh so delicious!!!! Here is the recipe for all of you to enjoy.

Ingredients
Low fat Yogurt – 250 ml
Water – 250 ml
Green chillies – 2-3
Ginger – a small piece
Mint – 4-5 leaves
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves – ¼ cup
Salt as per taste
Sugar – ½ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp (preferably use freshly roasted and powdered cumin)
Asafetida – a pinch
Chaat Masala – ½ tsp

Method
Finely chop the green chillies, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Keep aside. Finely grate the ginger. In a jug, blend the yogurt and water. Add the finely chopped, green chillies, coriander leaves and mint leaves, break some curry leaves into 2, for the essence to enter into the Mattha and some you can add as a whole. Add the finely grated ginger. Now add salt, sugar, asafetida, Freshly, roasted and powdered cumin powder and chaat masala. Mix everything well with a hand churner or a big spoon. Taste the Mattha, if anything needs to be added, add it and refrigerate it. It tastes better if kept for a while as all the spice enters into the Mattha and enhances the taste
Serve cool. If you want to serve immediately to the guests, you can add icecubes and serve chilled. It would be ideal to make and serve the Mattha in earthernware.
Cool down with Mattha.