Jantikalu/Murukku for Indian Cooking Challenge

This is a very simple recipe Srivalli has given. I feel I am very lucky that I got included in this cooking challenge. I came to know about this event after 2 months it was started. Better late than never. Hence I missed the first two challenges but still Srivallt included me in this event from third month. For a budding blogger like me this is the best opportunity.

Ingredients:
Raw Rice - 4 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Water - app 1/2 cup or more
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tsp
Asafetida/ Hing - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 75 gms


Method to prepare:
Wash and drain the rice. Shade dry the Rice for 1/2 hr. Dry roast the Urad dal to light brown. Allow it to cool. First grind rice into a fine flour, keep it aside. then grind the urad dal to fine powder.

In a big wide vessel, take both the flours along with salt. Mix well. Add cumin, Sesame seeds to the flour, mix well. Mix hing in water, make sure it is dissolved before adding to the flour.
Mix in the hing to the flour and finally add the butter. Gather everything well and you will get more of a crumbling mixture. Now slowly add water and knead in a soft dough.
Heat a kadai with oil enough to deep fry. Once the oil is hot enough, simmer to low flame.
Divide the dough into equal balls. Fill the greased Muruku maker with the dough.
Press over a paper and gently slide the murukku down the hot oil. You can press it directly over the kadai.
Cook over medium flame, using a slotted spoon, turn it over to other side to ensure both sides turn golden colour. Remove to a kitchen paper and store it in a air tight container.



This is my entry to the cooking challenge started by srivalli.

Pedhe

This is a very simple recipe. It's one such sweet everybody likes. I make this whenever I want something sweet to eat.

Makes about 35 pedhas of medium size.

This is what I used:

1 tin sweetened Condensed milk

2 cups Carnation Milk Powder

8 tbsp unsalted Butter

1 tbsp Almonds, roasted.

1-2 strands Saffron

1 tsp Milk.

This is what I did:

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 1 minute. Add the milk powder and condensed milk. Mix everything together.

Dilute the saffron strands in the milk and mix it with the above mixture.

Microwave for 2 minutes. Take out & stir. Again microwave for 2 minutes. Take care it may overflow. Stir.

Roast the almonds in micro for 1 minutes so that they become crunchy & halve them.

Grease hands with butter or ghee and make pedhas while the mixture is still warm. Take care not to burn your hand. Stick the almond halve to decorate.

Pedhas are ready.

Veg. Manchurian

This is also one such family favorite recipe. I make it atleast once a week. My elder son who is a poor eater loves this. He eats the manchurian balls without the sauce while I am still frying them. He says they are like pakodas. So I always make some extra batches of manchu balls.

For Manchurian balls
Cabbage- 2 cups finely chopped
Carrots- 2 grated
garlic-2 cloves chopped finely
green chilli- 1 chopped finely or Green Chilli sauce 1 tsp
spring onions(scallions)- 1/2 bunch chopped finely
cornstarch- 3 tbsp
Pinch of Aji-no-moto
salt to taste
chilli powder- 1 tsp
oil for deep frying

For Manchurian Sauce
Spring onions- 1/2 bunch chopped finely
ginger- 1/2" piece chopped finely
garlic - 2 cloves chopped finely
green chilli- 1 chopped finely
chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Soya sauce- 2-3 tsp
cornstarch- 1 tbsp
water- 1.5 cup
salt to taste
oil-4 tsp

This is how I make it-


Mix all the ingredients under the for manchurian balls except oil for deep frying in a bowl with hand and no need to add water as the water from vegetables are enough to bind.
Make small balls out of this mixture and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.

For the manchurian sauce heat oil in a pan. You can use the same oil in which manchurian balls were fried. Add ginger, garlic and the spring onions. saute for a minute and add salt. Meanwhile make a mixture of chilli powder, corn flour and soya sauce. Add water to it and pour the paste in hot oil carefully. Boil till bubbles arise.

When the sauce starts to thicken add the manchurian balls and remove from the stove immediately. If you like add some top green portion of the spring onions. Serve right away with Fried Rice.

If not serving immediately make the sauce when you have plans of servings as it thickens immediately.

Tomato Rice

This is a hit recipe in my home. From the youngest to the oldest everybody likes this rice. When I am bored to make an elaborate lunch or dinner I make this rice and with some raita and papad. Your meal is ready in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

1 Cup rice. Any rice can be used Basmati or Sona masoori. I use Sona masoori.

2 Tomatoes

1 medium onion

1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder

1 tsp Dhania Jeera Powder

1-2 Green Chillies

Few curry leaves

Jeera & Rai for tadka

1 Tbsp Oil

Pinch of hing/asafoetida

1 tsp Curry Powder (Optional)

Salt to taste

What to do:

Cook rice till soft but the grains should be separated.

Make two cross slits on the tomatoes. Boil tomatoes in enough water for 5-10 minutes. Bath the tomatoes in the cold water & remove the skin. Mash the tomatoes and to pulp.

Heat oil. Add rai-jeera, hing, curry leaves, green chillies. Add onion fry till soft. Add chilli powder, Dhaniya-Jeera powder, salt and the tomato pulp. Cook till the consistency of dosa batter. Sprinkle curry powder if using.

Mix with rice. Serve hot with raita & papad.