Carrot Kheer

 Ingredients:

Carrots. 1/2kg 

Sugar 3/4 cup. ( according to taste)

Milk 1/2 litre 

Cashew nuts  10

Almonds (Badam). 20

Cardamom powder 1 t spoon 

Saffron 2 or 3 strands 

Method 

Soak Almonds in hot water.  ( It is preferable to soak either overnight or few hours before  preparation for best results ) peel the skin 

Soak cashews in water This can be done just before starting  

Boil milk and keep aside.

Peel the skin of carrots and cut it into pieces of about 1 inch cube and pressure cook it by adding little water.

Take a Blender add soaked cashews ( drain water) and soaked and peeled almonds ( drain water) add little water while blending to make it into paste consistency .  The water used to pressure cook the carrots can be used here.  Add cooked carrots and blend everything to a  smooth smoothie consistency. 

You can peel cardamom and add the seeds while blending the almonds etc , if you don’t have cardamom powder. 

Keep a thick bottomed vessel on stove (medium to low flame) pour the carrot smoothie into it. Keep stirring. In five minutes add Sugar.  Once this starts boiling add hot milk and keep stirring. After few minutes,  Switch off stove. Now add cardamom powder and the saffron. 

Have it either hot or chilled kheer kept in the fridge  depending on the weather 

Tomato Juice/Tomato Popsicle

Very easy to prepare
Ingredients
Ripe Tomatoes. ( not the Roma Variety). 10
Sugar 1 or 2 Table spoons
A pinch of Salt
Water 1 or 2 cups
Method:
Wash and cut the tomatoes.
Add sugar and salt and blend it in a blender or Juicer.
Filter and keep the juice aside
Again  blend the remaining portion on top by adding little water
Filter and add it to the juice kept aside
Add water according to taste
Juice is ready chill it and drink
Fill up the juice (without water) in the popsicle containers / stand and freeze it
Tomato Popsicle is ready

Poories

                                                                 Poories 


Ingredients:
 Wheat flour.     2 cups
Water  about 1/4 cup
Oil. 1 table spoon 
Salt to taste 
Oil for deep frying 

Method :
Make a tight dough with wheat flour water salt and oil. Add water little by little and just add enough to make the dough tight  ( This should be harder than the dough prepared for making rotis/ chapathis) 
 This need not have to sit for long just make the dough about 15 minutes before you deep fry the poories 

Heat oil oil a thick bottomed frying pan 
Take small quantities of dough and roll them into round flat poories 
Keep little oil in a cup and use it to knead the dough into flat poories 
Test the oil if it is ready
put a very little/small  piece of dough ball into hot oil and if it comes up immediately the oil is ready for deep frying 
Slowly put the flat poori into oil ( slide it carefully from the side) ( we use ladle  called Kannu  Chattuvam in Tamil meaning a ladle  with lot of eyes) 
Using the ladle just gently touch the poori's surface in the oil. Slowly the poories start  to pop up. Gently turn it using the ladle. When it turns light brown remove it and keep it out on a kitchen tissue.   Deep fry one by one the poories and be very very careful  while deep frying as the oil,will be very hot. 
Eat it with alu masal  curry 

Vangibath

This Vangibath is usually done with eggplants. It can be done with Bellpeppers(Capsicums) also


Ingredients:

1. Egg plants 3 or 4 if long ones ( take 10 if it is baby eggplants, if Big Eggplant is used take one ) or Bell Pepper  1 big 
2. Potatoes 1 big ( optional) 
3. Oil 1 table spoon.
4. Chilli powder 1/2 t spoon
5. Green chilli. 1 small
6. Ginger. One small bit
7. Curry leaves 
8. Mustard seeds 1 t spoon
9. Urad dal 1 t spoon
10. Channa dal 1 t spoon
11. Turmeric powder 1/2 t spoon
12. One onion 
13. Salt to taste

Ingredients for masala powder to be added

1.  Channa dal  1 tspoon
2. Coriander seeds 2 t spoon
3. Urad dal 1 tspoon
4. Cinnamon  a small piece
5. Red chillies 3 
6. Black pepper 4 or 5
7. Jeera /cumin seeds 1 tspoon
8. Copra or dry coconut 2 table spoons

Method:
Dry fry the ingredients  till golden brown for masala in a thick bottomed 'kadai' except for dry coconut .
Fry coconut separately till it is golden brown
Powder  all the ingredients together  in a blender and keep aside.
This powder can be made in larger quantity and kept in fridge for multiple use.
( for this quantity approximately 2 to 3 table spoon s of powder is required)

Cut the Bellpepper into small pieces.
If  Eggplants  is used cut it into lengthwise pieces.
Peel the skin of potato and cut into length wise rectangular cubes.
Cut onions into length wise pieces.
Cut the green chilli in the middle and  ginger into small bits

Take a thick bottom 'kadai'. Add oil.
Add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add urad dal and channa dal
Once golden brown add the green chilli, ginger curry leaves and onions. .
Onions have to turn light brown.
Add the  cut Bell Pepper  or Eggplant.
After few minutes add the cut potato , turmeric powder, chilli,powder, salt to taste.
Turn it well and keep it covered. .
Cook it on a slow flame.
Once the Bell Pepper /Eggplant  and Potatoes  are cooked. Add the masala powder.
Mix thoroughly and switch off stove in few minutes.
One t spoon ghee can be added for flavour.
Add cooked plain rice to the ' curry' and mix well. ( quantity of rice can be altered depending on taste)
If cooked Basmathi  rice is used it will taste better.  But any cooked rice can be used for this dish 

Pudina ( Mint leaves) Rice

Ingredients:

1. Pudina/ mint leaves : 1 bunch 
2. Fresh grated coconut : 2 to 3 Table Spoons
3. Green chillies :  1
4. Cinnamon/Dalchini : one small bit
5. Potato: 1 big or 2 small 
6. Cooking oil: 1 table spoon
7. Mustard seeds : 1/2 tspoon 
8. Broken urad dal : 1 tspoon
9. Channa dal : 1 tspoon
10. Cashew nuts : few broken into small pieces
11. Coriander leaves and curry leaves for garnishing 
12. Salt to taste and a little turmeric powder 

Method:
Peel the skin and cut the potatoes into small cubes.
Clean and cut the pudina /mint leaves into small bits
Grind pudina leaves, green chilli, cinnamon, and coconut coarsely ( not very pasty )
Take a ' kadai' or a pan and heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters add urad dal, channa dal and cashew nuts. Once it turns light golden colour add the curry leaves and the cut potatoes.  Add turmeric powder and half salt,  keep the kadai covered.  Once the potatoes are half done add the ground pudina mixture and the remaining salt. Keep it covered. Keep in low fire. Once the potatoes are completely cooked. Remove from stove.
Mix this with cooked rice and Pudina rice is ready. Add cooked rice according to taste. Garnish with cut coriander leaves

Kallakand

This is made using a Micro Oven. 

Ingredients:

• Full Cream Milk Powder. 2 Cups
• Sugar.   1 Cup ( or little less if desired )
• Fresh Milk 1/2 Cup
• Whipping Cream. 1/4 Cup
• Ghee  1 tsp

Ingredients for Garnishing 

• Cardamom powder
• Nutmeg powder
• Almond powder
• Pista powder

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a Microwaveable big glass bowl 

Whisk well

Microwave for 4 minutes

Whisk in between as it raises.

Microwave another 2 minutes or till right colour and consistency 

Spread ghee on a plate  or a flat bowl and press mixture down 

Spread / Garnish with all the powders on the Kalakand

Paruppu Podi

Paruppu Podi.
This is another podi which can be eaten with hot cooked rice.

Ingredients:
1.Tur Dal   1 cup
2. Chana Dal  1 cup
3. Red chillies 1 if big or 2 if small
4. black pepper  few pods
5. Salt to taste.
6. Asafoetida /hing   little
7.oil 1 and  1/ 2 t spoon for roasting.

Method.
take half teaspoon of oil and roast the Tur dal till golden brown.  keep aside
take half teaspoon of oil and roast the Chana dal till golden brown. keep aside.
take half teaspoon of oil and just roast for few minutes the chillies and the black pepper .  add the salt and asafoetida powder.  switch off the stove.
powder all the ingredients in a mixer and 'paruppu podi' is ready.

There is a slight variation and taste if Chutney dal (pottu kadalai) is used  to make the powder and this can also be eaten with Cooked rice.

Ingredients:
1. Chutney dal  1 cup
2. grated Copra ( dry coconut) 3 to 4 table spoons 
3. 1 or 2 red chillies
4. salt to taste.
Method
dry roast the grated copra till golden brown. 
roast the chillies for few minutes.
switch off the stove and then just put the chutney dal in the hot kadai and keep stirring.  (it should not be fried)
now add salt and grind all the ingredients and the powder is ready.