Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Banana Almond Overnight Oatmeal

Breakfast is the important meal of the day & it should be healthy, nutritious & should also be the heaviest meal of your day.  Here I'm sharing a breakfast for healthier you, which can be made in no time & also satisfies your taste buds too. 
Banana Almond Overnight Oatmeal is a simple & tempting breakfast. This recipe can be customized according to your taste, where in oatmeal meal remains the same, while toppings can be changed accordingly.

You might also like 
Overnight Oatmeal with Mango & Almonds | How to Make No Cook Oatmeal

Prep Time- 8hrs | Serves-2people
Ingredients 
1Cup oats {old fashioned oats}
2Cups milk
5Tsp brown sugar
1/2Tsp vanilla extract
Few chopped almonds 
Banana pieces chopped 
1Tsp honey
Directions 
- Take 2 bowls & add 1/2 a cup of oats in each. 
- Add 1Cup milk in each bowl. 
- Add 1/4Tsp of vanilla extract in each bowl.
- Next add 2&1/2Tsp of sugar to each bowl. Mix them well.
- Close with a lid & allow them to sit in refrigerator overnight. 
- When you are ready to eat garnish with banana's & almonds.
- Drizzle honey & enjoy your break fast. 
Note
- You can replace vanilla extract with almond extract. 
- Instead of brown sugar you add regular white sugar. 
- You can double this recipe to accommodate more people. 
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Friday, August 15, 2014

Janthikalu


Janthikalu are a Andhra savory festive dish. These are made ahead of time for any festivals or happy occasions along with a sweet dish. Janthikalu can be made of mixing few different flours along with flavorings add to it. The mixing flours doesn't have to be the same always. My grand mom use to mix rice flour with atta flour to make janthikalu, which are very friendly to your tummy. Here I'm sharing one of those versions of Janthikalu with you all. 
Prep Time-15mins | Cook Time - 40mins | Servings -
Ingredients 
2Cups rice flour
1Cup besan 
1/2Tsp turmeric
4Tsp chili powder {adjust as needed}
2Tbs sesame seeds
2Tbs melted ghee
2&1/2Tsp salt {adjust as needed}
1Cup + 1Tbs water
Oil for deep frying 
Directions
Making Dough
- Sieve rice flour & besan in to a bowl. 
- To that add chili powder, sesame, salt, turmeric & ghee. 
- Mix them well with a spatula. 
- Now add 1cup water little by little to the flour & mix to form a ball of dough. 
- Adjust salt & chili powder if needed.
- Close it with a wet cloth and keep aside while the oil is getting hot. 
Making Jantikalu 
-Now take a janthikala gottam or murukku maker with your choice of hole plate.
Divide dough into 4 equal balls. 
- Wet your hands & then pick a dough balls & place it in the murukku maker as shown above.
- Mean while heat oil for deep frying on medium heat. 
- Test the murukku maker before going ahead. 
- Now press janthika in a circular motion as shown in the above figure in to hot oil. 
- Oil will bubble up & as the janthika is cooked it reduces. 
- Turn over janthika for even frying on both sides. 
- Once it is cooked well remove it on to a paper towel to absorb the left oil. 
- Now repeat the same with rest of the dough.
- Later store janthikalu in a air tight container to keep the fresh.
Note
- Oil should be perfectly hot. 
- To test the heat of oil,drop a pinch of dough ball in to oil & it should float immediately on top. 
- If you are making dough a little head of time, than close it with a wet towel to, so that the dough won't dry out. 
- Be careful with hot oil. 
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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Atukula Payasam | Aval Payasam | Poha Kheer

Atukula Payasam / Aval Payasam is a simple & easy to make sweet dish on a busy festival day. Aval payasam is a krishnashtami special dish & is offered to god on this special day. Atukula Payasam can be customized according to your taste, like flavoring it up coconut or almond paste for a much flavorful sweet dish.
Prep Time-5mins | Cook Time-15-20mins | Serves-3people 
Ingredients
1/2Cup atukulu/aval/poha {thick one's}
1&1/2Cups milk {I used 2%fat milk}
1/2Cup sugar
1Tsp cardamon powder
1Tbs ghee
Few cashews
Directions
- Heat pan with ghee. Add cashews to ghee & fry them to light brown.
- Remove them on to a plate
- Add milk & sugar to pan. Bring it to boil on low heat by stirring once in a while.
- Add atukulu/poha & cardamon powder to milk & cook on low heat for 10mins, while stirring in between. 
- Add fried cashews to payasam & adjust sugar if needed. 
- Switch off heat & allow the kheer to cool a little before serving. 
Note
- You can use jaggery instead of sugar. If using jaggery add the same amount as sugar & adjust if needed. Adding jaggery at the end before adding cashew, so that the milk won't cuddle up. 
- Add raisins if you like. 
- Use another cup of milk if you like kheer to be more liquidly. 
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Monday, August 11, 2014

Ghee | How To Make Ghee?

Ghee, which can also be called as clarified butter has originated from India & ghee is also used widely in Indian cooking & pooja. Cow's ghee is believed sacred & it is used in pooja, in making prasadam/neivedyam, cooking & also for medicinal use's. The other ghee is made of buffalo milk & it is used for cooking. Ghee might sound & seem like calories, but it also promotes health benefits. Consuming a little amount of ghee per day will help in food digestion & promotes multiple health benefits.
I started making ghee at home for past few months & I'm happy of using a healthy home made ghee rather than a store bought one. A store bought ghee is never a pure ghee & it has added vegetable oil's in it. After I read about that, I decided to make some ghee at home & was happy that it was successful. This is not a traditional Indian style ghee. In USA even though if you are using a full fat milk, it is hard to get butter out of it. So for ghee enthusiasts in USA, this is how you can make ghee at home & enjoy all the goodness of it. 
Ingredients
1Litre heavy whipping cream 
1Tsp methi seeds {fenugreek seeds}
Tools Needed
Big bowl 
Electric whisk / Whisk 
2 Strainers
A wide non-stick pan 
Spatula
Directions
- Take whipping cream in a big bowl. 
- Whip the heavy cream using a electric whisk. 
- As seen in 3rd pic whip cream to stiff peaks. It might take a little time.
- Keep whipping until use see the cuddled cream separating. 
- Strain the buttermilk as shown above. 
{If you are using cheese cloth then you can squeeze the extra water from the butter right away.}
- Make balls of butter by squeezing extra water.
{You can store butter as it is or can go ahead make ghee}
- Heat a non-stick pan on low heat. Add butter & methi seeds to it.
- Allow butter to melt completely & keep cooking for few more minutes to little dark golden in color. You can see milk solids separating from butter.
- Ghee should be golden in color & you can feel the nice aroma of perfectly done ghee. Switch off heat when the ghee looks golden.
- Allow it to cool completely before you strain.
- Strain ghee in to a clean jar. 
*** The fried milk solids are called "Goku" in telugu. They taste very good & delicious. You can have as it is or mix with any of your favorite rice dish. 
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Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Pulagam

Pulagam is a Neivedyam you offer to god. It is made of rice, mong dal & ghee by cooking together. It looks dry & can be consumed as normal rice, along with dal, curries, rasam & curd. 
Pulagam is made as daily neivedyam to god.It can also be offered on auspicious & festive occasions. While offering as prashad we top it with little ghee, jaggery & then offered it to god. 
Sravanamasam is a auspicious month & that too tuesdays & fridays are the most important days of this month. So I make this pulagam on these 2days along with a sweet dish & offer it to god. 
Prep Time-5mins | Cook Time-20mins {Electric cooker}
Ingredients 
2Cups rice 
4Cups water
1/2Cup moong dal
1Tbs ghee
Piece of Jaggery
Directions 
- In cooking vessel add rice & dal. 
- Wash them with lots of water. 
- Now add 4cups water & ghee to the cooking vessel. 
- Place it in the electric cooker & switch on. 
- Once the rice is done, allow it to cool for few mins. 
- Top it with a piece of jaggery & ghee. 
- Pulagam is ready for neivedyam.
Note
- If you are using pressure cooker, than you might have to adjust water level. 

Friday, August 1, 2014

Chana Dal Sago Payasam | Senaga Pappu Payasam

Payasam is a south Indian style sweet dish mostly made for festive, auspicious & any happy occasion.
Vermicelli payasam, Wheat payasam, Parippu payasam & many more are the few varieties of this dish. As the festive season is kick starting here is a dish that is a keeper for any occasion. 
Chana Dal Sago Payasam is a yummy combo of a dish. I love how this payasam has a bite in every spoon you have. Chana dal is cooked perfect & not mushy to make the texture perfect in this dish. 
Prep Time- 1hr{soaking} | Cook Time - 1hr | Serves - 4people | Yields-4servings 
Ingredients 
1/2Cup chana dal {soak for 1hr}
1/2Cup sago / sabudana {soak for 1hr}
2&1/2Cups milk {2%fat}
1/2Cup + 2Tbs sugar {adjust as needed}
1Tsp cardamon powder
1Tbs ghee / butter
Few cashews 
Few raisins 
Directions 
- Pressure cook chana dal & sago along with  2Cups milk for 2whistles. Switch off heat & allow pressure cooker to cool. 
- Meanwhile heat pan with ghee. Add cashews & raisins to pan. 
- Fry them till cashews have changed a little in color & the raisins are puffed up. 
- In a vessel add the kheer & to that add the extra 1/2Cup milk. Bring them to boil. 
- Add sugar & cardamon powder to milk.
- Stir once in a while & cook for 10mins. Switch off heat. 
- Add the fried cashews & raisins to payasam. Mix them well. 
*** Serve kheer/payasam when it is luke warm. 
Note
- You can replace sugar with jaggery or brown sugar. 
- If needed increase the milk quantity, It was perfect for me. 
- Soak chana dal overnight for easy cooking.
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