AVIAL

AVIAL(SPICY MIXED VEG. CURRY)
Ingredients:
Suran(yam)-200gms,
Raw plantain-1,
Drumstick-1,
Brinjal-2(small),
Beans-100 gms,
Cluster beans-100 gms,
Cucumber-1(small),
Carrot-1(medium),
Snake gourd-a small piece,
raw mango-a large piece,(as per availability)
Coconut scrapings-1.5 cups,
Green chillies-6,
Jeera-1 tsp,
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp,
Curd-1 cup(medium sour),
Salt to taste,
Curry leaves and
Coconut oil-1tbsp.

AVIAL

Method:
Wash and cut the vegetables into 1” long pieces.
Grind coconut, chillies, jeera and turmeric powder to a coarse texture(call it masala).
Add little salt and 2 cups of water to the vegetables and pressure cook it for 2 continuous whistles.
Boil the masala with curd and the required salt for 5 mts. Keep stirring in between.
Add the cooked vegetables and the curry leaves to the masala and cook for another one minute.
Remove from the flame, add coconut oil, mix well and close with a lid.
The Avial is ready. If mango is added, the quantity of curd can be reduced.
The consistency can be varied as per one’s choice. It can be dry, semi dry or with a thin gravy texture. Appropriate quantity of water has to be used while preparing the masala.
Note:
The variety and the number of vegetables used can also be changed as per choice, but the first 3 ingredients(vegetables) are compulsorily required to get a proper flavour and taste of the avial.

ADAI

ADAI(RICE AND DAL MIX DOSA)

Ingredients:

Raw rice-1-1/2 cups,

Chana dal-1/2 cup,

Urid dal-1/2 cup,

Tur dal-1/2 cup,

Red/green chillies-5,

Hing-1/8 tsp,

Salt to taste and

Oil for making adai.

Method:

Wash and soak rice and all 3 dals together, for 4 hrs.

Grind them with chillies, hing and salt to a coarse texture.

Heat dosa tawa, spread a little oil on the tawa and then spread a laddle-full of the batter to form a thick dosa shape.

Bring the flame to a low and drip a little more oil all around. Close it with a lid.

When one side is done, flip it and cook the other side also well.

When both the sides are done, take it from the pan.

This preparation goes very well with butter, curds,  jaggery or even chutney as an accompaniment.

The texture of adai can be changed by having a comparatively thin layer of batter to prepare it and make the adai crispy as in the case of ordinary dosa or have a soft texture with a slightly thicker layer of batter to prepare it. Both are equally tasty, delicious and nutritious.

DRY FRUIT LADDU

Dry Fruit Laddu.
This laddu is very rich in nutrients as well as calories and hence is good, especially for growing children.
Dry fruits like almonds, pistachios, cashewnuts, kismis,dried apricots, dried plums, dates,dried mango pulp, etc can be used as per availability.
Ingredients:
Dry fruits-250 gms,(as many varieties as possible)
Groundnuts-100 gms,
til-50 gms,
jagerry-250 gms(powdered),
dry coconut-100 gms(grated),
cardamom powder-1 tsp,
ghee-100 gms.

DRY-FRUIT LADDU

Method:
Roast almonds and groundnuts in a dry pan or microwave them for 5 mts on high mode.
Roast til.
Grind them coarse in a mixer.
Roast coconut  in little ghee and grind it coarse in a mixer.
Shred all the soft dry fruits into tiny pieces.
Heat ghee in a pan, add jagerry and stir well for 2 mts.
Remove from flame and add all the ground and shredded items along with cardamom powder.
Thoroughly mix them and form laddus applying  little ghee on both the palms.
Dry fruit laddus are ready.
Store them in an air-tight container.

BURFI

BURFI(SWEET)
This burfi is  known as 7 measure burfi ingredients being ,1 measure of each coconut, besan, ghee and  milk and 3 measures of sugar. To enhance the flavour and taste, slight modification is done and  comes  the following recipe.
Ingredients:
Coconut scrapings-1 cup,
Besan-1 cup,
Sugar-3 ½ cups,
Cashewnuts/almonds(or combined together)-1/2 cup,
Milk-1 cup,
Ghee-1 cup and
Cardamom powder-1/2 tsp.(optional)

Method:
Soak and peel almonds.
Crush almonds  and cashewnuts and grind   along with coconut using milk, into a paste.
In a heavy bottom pan, add all the items including the nut-milk paste and keep on the stove with full flame.
Go on stirring without stopping.
When it starts solidifying, bring the flame to the medium.
Keep stirring.
The cooking is complete, when the laddle comes out smoothly, without sticking, on piercing the contents.
Put off the stove and transfer the contents to a greased(preferably with ghee) flat steel plate.
Level it with the laddle or using any other small flat bottom vessel.
When the flattened contents come to a warm stage, while at the same time becomes hard, cut it into pieces.
Take out the cut pieces, only after they are fully cooled.
Burfi is ready for eating.

GAJAR HALWA

Carrot Halwa

This halwa can be prepared in different ways. Given below is one of them and which I use for preparing the halwa.

Ingredients:

carrots-500gms(large, thick and long ones),

sugar-300gms,

cashewnuts-10,

almonds-10,

kismis-1tbsp,

khova(non-sweetened)-100 gms,

milk-2 cups.

ghee-1 tbsp,

cardamom powder-1 tsp.

GAJAR HALWA

Method:

Clean and peel the carrots with the help of a peeler and grate them.

Soak almonds in hot water for a few minutes and de-skin them.

Chop cashewnuts and almonds to small thin pieces.

Cook grated carrots in milk in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles.

In a heavy bottom pan, mix the cooked carrots, khova and sugar and cook till it thickens.

Bring the flame to low.

Add the chopped cashews, almonds and the kismis along with the ghee, mix well and roast till it starts sticking to the finger.

Remove from flame, add cardamom powder and mix well.

Halwa is ready.

Note:

This halwa can also be prepared with only milk(without khova). In that case, the quantity of milk added should be more.