PACHAKAPPA/FRESH TAPIOCA PUTTU WITH MATHI/SARDINE MULAKITTATHU

Ingredients

Pachakappa
Salt
Grated coconut

Method
Clean and peel fresh tapioca.
 Using a grater, grate fresh tapioca.
Squeeze well to remove it's all water content.
Mix well using hands and make sure there is no lumps.
Grate coconut and keep aside.
Keep the puttu maker with water on fire and to boil.
Meanwhile
add salt to the grated tapioca and mixwell again.
Take puttu kutti and first add grated coconut and then grated tapioca and again coconut and then tapioca just as we do in making puttu.
Keep the lid and put it on puttu kudam or pitti maker and wait till steam comes out.
After one or two minutes remove the puttu kutti and transfer it into a plate .
Repeat the process till all the grated tapioca is done.


It really goes well with either chicken curry or fish curry especially those with the traditional ways.


MATHI MULAKITTATHU

Ingredients

Fresh cleaned sardines - 1/2 kg
Finely sliced onions - four large
Slited green chillies - 3 to 4 nos
Finely julienned ginger - one inch piece
Sliced garlic - 8 to 10 flakes
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 or 2 stalks
Coconut oil - 1 to 2 tbs
Brindle berry / kudampuli - 3 to 4 pieces (tamarind juice)
Salt - to taste

Method

Make 3 to 4 fine slits on each side of the fish.  Not need to cut into pieces, the whole is well.
Take a thick bottom flatten vessel .
Add all ingredients except fish and smash well adding half the quantity of the oil with hand.
Then add fish n mix well and arrange it well as the masala covers it .
Add some water just to cover it.
Put on low fire and keep the lid.
Allow to cook on slow fire till the water reduces  and fish dones.
In between just open the lid and shake it round and keep again on the fire.
Before putting off the fire just sprinkle the remaining coconut oil and keep closed for some time.



If you want to make it in more traditional way you have to use earthern pot /mannchatti/kalchatti.
Use banana leaves on the bottom of the vessel and add some oil .
Then aarrange half of the smashed onion masala and then arrange fish and then again masala .
Add some water.
Keep banana leaves on the top also and keep the lid tightly.
Cook on low flame till it done.

DATES BISCUIT ROLL

Ingredients

Dates ( pitted)  :  2 cups
Digestive biscuit:  250grm
Cooking chocolate:  50 to 75 grm
Butter ( Unsalted) :  2 tbs
Condensed milk: 2 tbs
Sugar(optional) : 1 to 2 tbs
Choco chips(optional) : 2tbs

Method

Heat n non stick pan and add butter and melt it in low flame.  Then add cooking chocolate ( no need to double boiling)  and  condensed milk n stirr continously in low flame till the chocolate melts.  Keep it aside for cool.  Meanwhile just crush the pitted dates in a mixer.  Crush the biscuits using hand. No need to make it fine powder.  Add crushed dates and biscuits to the chocolate mix and mix well first using spatula. Then add chocolate chips and using hand make it a dough. Transfer it into a aluminum foil or cling film and roll it finely and keep it in the refrigerator for one hour to set.  After  setting take it and cut into fine pieces..
Dates biscuit roll is ready to serve.  

Toasted Banana

Toasted bananas are very good evening snacks for kids after their long schooling hours before going for outdoor play.  As all we know, that the bananas are one of the best energy boosters available in our nature.  They are rich in protein so as a good source of energy.  They also rich in minerals especially potassium which is very important to the proper functioning of  the heart. It also regulates the blood pressure.

Improves digestion as it is very rich in dietary fiber.  There are many reasons to include bananas to our daily diet... 

This snack is very easy to prepare and very rich in quality n superb in taste.  All most all kids, even those who hate bananas will like this simple but yummy snack...

Here we goes..

Ingredients 

Ripe bananas

Ghee

Method

Peel bananas and slice it vertically.  You can make three or four slices as depending upon the size of the banana.. 

Heat a pan and splash some ghee and arrange the slices on it and cover n cook for two to three minutes in a low flame. 

Turn upside down nagain splash a little bit of ghee all over and  cook for another two to three minutes open till it done golden brown. 

You can flip it over again if it is not done.. 

Plate it and serve it hot with a glass of milk or tea or coffee..

You can sprinkle some sugar over it, if needed.  It's optional.... 

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Ingredients

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Green chilly – 2-3

Shallots – 2

Ginger – a very small piece

Tamarind – a little bit (optional)

Salt – to taste

For seasoning

Coconut oil – ½ tbsp

Mustard – ½ tsp

Black gram – ½ tsp

Red chilly – 1 or 2

Sliced shallot - 1

Curry leaves – 6-8 leaves

Method

Grind coconut, chilies, shallots, ginger, tamarind, and slat to a very fine paste.  Transfer the mixture in to a bowl.

Heat a pan. Add oil and crackle mustard and add all other ingredients for seasoning and sauté for 1 minute.  Pour this to the chutney.  Or pour the chutney to the pan and slow down the flame and add water if you want loose chutney and heat well.  Stir continuously.  Don’t boil.  Adjust the salt.

Note

1. You can use bird eye chilly instead of green chilly.
2. If you want red chutney, add dried red chilies.  Roast red chilies in oil or with out oil before grinding.
3. If you are health conscious you can avoid seasoning.
4. You can avoid shallots while seasoning.

MANGO MILK SHAKE

Enjoy the sweetness and tempting taste of this mango shake to beat the sizzling hot of this summer.  This is really refreshing, cooling and healthy too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Serves for 2

Ingredients

Mango - 2 

Milk - 300 ml

Sugar - 3 tbsp

Method

Boil milk and bring to room temperature and chill.  Mix all the ingredients in a mixer and blend well and serve.

CHOCOLATE POTS

Ingredients

Dark chocolate – 100 g

Double cream – 250 g

Sugar – 50 g

Egg – 1

Vanilla essence – 2 tsp

For garnishing

Cherries

Fresh mint leaves

Sugar/icing sugar

Method

Grate chocolate.

Slightly blend cream with a spoon.

Take a sauce pan and add cream and sugar.

Stir continuously and on a low flame bring to boil.

Add vanilla essence and bring down from the fire.

Beat this using a blender for 2 minutes and put egg beat ½ more minute.

Pour this hot chocolate to small cups.

Let it cool.

When cooled refrigerate at least 3 or 4 hours.

Serve chilled by decorating with cherries and mint.  Sprinkle some sugar or icing sugar above the mint leaves.

BHEL PURI/CHURMURI

Bhel puri is a typical north Indian snacks or chat.  These are now available at all parts of India and are very popular.  The south Indian version of bhel puri is called churmuru.  Bhel means puffed rice.  The main ingredient is bhel as the name suggests.  The bhel is mixed with some veggies and a particular kind of sauce or chutney and is topped with sev (vermicelli made from basan flour/gram flour) and coriander leaves.  Mix the bhel with other ingredients just before serving.  You can add any vegetables as per your taste.  Basically bhel puri contains broken papdies and boiled potatoes.  I just avoided it in this recipe.  I always add a lot of vegetables that can be eaten raw.  This makes a very good evening time snack for the children as it has full of vegetables.  The tamarind sauce prepared once can be refrigerated for 1 week.  Here is the way how I make this fabulous chat…….

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Puffed rice – 3 cups

Tomato chopped – 1

Onion chopped – 1

Salad cucumber chopped – 1 cup

Carrot chopped – 1 small

Coriander leaves chopped – ½ cup

Fresh green peas boiled – ¼ cup

Red chilly powder – ½ tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt – to the taste

Sev - 1 cup

Lime juice – 1 tbsp

Roasted pea nuts – ¼ cup (optional)

For sauce/chutney

Jaggery syrup – ½ cup (50 – 75 gm jaggery)

Tamarind juice – ½ cup (juice of a small ball of tamarind)

Black salt – a pinch

Roasted jeera powder – ½ tsp

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Salt – ½ tsp or to taste

Method

In a sauce pan pour tamarind juice, jaggery syrup and bring to boil.  Add red chilly powder and black salt.  In a low flame cook until the sauce becomes thick.  Just before turning off the stove add roasted cumin seeds and salt to taste.

In a large mixing bowl add chopped vegetables, peas, and salt.  Before adding salt, taste the puffed rice. Some times the bhel has more salt in it.  Mix well.  Add ½ of the sev and coriander leaves.  Add lime juice, oil, chilly powder and mix along with puffed rice.  Immediately serve it in quarter plates and pour 1 or 2 tsp (according to your taste) of sauce and garnish with some sev, coriander leaves and chopped onion.  Serve at once.