Banana Appam

With indian festivals frequently falls every other week,the banana used for pooja will be flooded..I regularly make this at home to finish off the bananas in quicker way...the appam will be soft and spongy apt for evening snack especially for winter cravings..

Ingredients

Maida-1 cup

Sugar-1/4 cup

Cardamon powder-1/2 tsp

Banana-3/4 cup,smashed
Water-half cup

Coconut,grated-1/4 cup(optional)

Baking soda-2 pinches

Oil to deep fry

Method

1.Mix all the ingredients and make thick batter

2.Heat oil and pour a tbsp of batter and allow it cook

3.Turn appam and cook in medium flame

4.Cook appam until sizzling stops completely 

Notes

• Can replace 1/4 cup of jaggery with sugar..
• Melt jaggery with water and strain and use it
• Can replace maida to wheat flour
• Use your hand to pour the batter for better shapes of appam

Maida Burfi

The most easiest burfi i ever made..It needs 10 -15 minutes and perfect for all occasions :)

Ingredients

Maida-1 cup

Sugar-2 cups

Water-1/2 cup

An essence-1 tsp

Ghee-1/4 cup

tutti fruiti-1/2 cup

Method

1.Heat ghee and add maida,saute for couple of minutes,Keep aside

2.Melt sugar and water in heavy pan,and make thick syrup in one string consistency

3.Add the maida to syrup and stir well and break all the lumps

4.Stir for exactly 2 mins ,add tutti fruiti and off the flame 

5.Immediately pour it in greased tray and level the burfi

6.Allow it to cool for 10 minutes,and cut the burfi for desired shapes 

Karupatti(palm jaggery) Adirasam - Tribute to Chef Jacob Aruni

I was an usual housewife who did regular cooking ,but god had other plans as always ..I took part in ancient cooking contest in which chef jacob supposed to come as judge,I did a lot of research work both in practical and theoretical methods on ancient cooking..A clue for many ancient ingredients were unknown..With my peanut size of brain,i won the contest...One of recipe i used is given by chef jacob -Ancient biryani(link here)...

Whenever i met him for past 3 years,as everyone says he is down to earth person and for me he is "A man lived with  for his own dreams.."I wish he lived longer and longer and still couldnt believe his sudden demise..it is sure a huge loss for south indian culinary field..He worked as consultant chef in many restaurants like Rassa ,Crimson chakka,Soul Curry ,Alapenos,Season and also in ISKCON..He also cooked in many gathering for 1000's of people.... He never carried a dish to fascinate the customers..the Rassa ,by krishna sweets carried a basic and simple menu ,the food made with minimal ingredients as per ancient culture..When people needs the food entertained from around the world ,he is the one who brought back most popular dishes from southern most tamilnadu and cooked all his dishes with local ingredients...He worked for years togYether i research of ancient cooking and also emphasized the same in his own restaurant..His JACOB kitchen served five desserts which is purely found more than a century ago-The amirtha vadai/sweet vadai, kambu halwa,elaneer payasam and  mettukudi pudding..

The readers and chef jacob fans requested to share pictures of jacob....

Chef Jacob during Big FM-Children's day special,Nov,2010

When my child pranked with him..

Chef Jacob ,during his restaurant review of Jacob's Kichen by ChennaiFoodGuide facebook group

Chef Jacob during CFG(Chennaifoodguid) BBQ workshop:May,2012

and at last i met him in ChennaiFoodGuid group 8th Anniversary,Sep,2012 

During the last meet,I made him to speak with my husband who is actually fond of his food(Jacob's kitchen) who visited more than me... Chef questioned me back,atleast thrice( i remember) Ain't u coming there..I was in discomfort and went speechless...At last,i called him last week to convey a message his late mother is on tv..It was the sunday i made dough for adirasam and....... 

RIP,Chef Jacob Sir...

Karuppatti Adirasam

  Ingredients

Rice flour-2 cups

Karupatti/palm jaggery-1 cup

Cardamon powder-1 tsp

Oil-1/3 cup

Oil to deep fry

Method

1.Boil a cup of water and add karupatti ,allow it to melt

2.Strain the water and reheat the strup until it turns thick consistency

When syrup added in water it shoudnt melt away

3.Mix the flour with the syrup and  the 1/3 cup of oil

4.Stir without a pause to form a thick dough

5.Store the dough in fridge and can be used sooner or later

6.Grease a plantain leaf or a sheet,spread the dough with applying oil in hands ,

use a lid to make a round shape

7.Lift the dough and deep fry in low flame until oil stops sizzling

8.Use 2 laddles and press the 2 sides of adirasam to release excess oil 

As it named adirasam,Its an perfect indulge with amazing taste(rasam) of rice and karuppatti...It is an apt substitute for jaggery method.

Notes

1.Leave the adirasam dough atleast a day ,and the longer the duration  the taste will be much better 
and also with lesser in absorption of oil

2.Karupatti melts sooner and forms a thick consistency,so keep an eye while melting it

Seven cup burfi / 3 in 1 Sweet

this is my grand mother's recipe,i love making it.Its so simple,a best beginner's friendly sweet recipe..the taste will be more like a mix of mysore pak and coconut burfi..

Ingredients

Besan Flour/Pottukadai maavu-1 cup

Ghee/Oil-1 cup

Dessicated coconut /Fresh Coconut ,grated-1 cup

Milk-1 cup

Sugar-3 cups

Method

1.Sieve flour and with mix all ingredients in heavy ,hollow pan 

2.Heat the pan and stir in medium flame to melt the sugar well

3.In few minutes,the mix will like become in pic 1 of kadai

4.Keeping stirring until it forms thick and starts leaving the edges 

5.Grease a plate or tray and pour and level with a laddle

6.Place some roasted nuts on burfi and let it cool

7.When its in little cooled, line the burfi with knife 

Wish you all a very happy ,prosperous ,safe and healthy Diwali/Deepavali

Guilt free malpua

So,the diwali is nearing close,how we cant miss those deep fried high glucose delights now....Most of indian sweets and savouries are deep fried and high in calories...Dont think i am pretending,but after a heck of feast,i am in track of dieting again.. Both my DH and daughter love sweets as i am not much fond of,but i luv malpuas.....In chennai,u will get the best malpuas in agarwal sweets in paris(not paid 2 say/recommend )...the below recipe is by Chef amit from courtard by mariott ,chennai..I have already shared his recipes in this blog...this one is really keeper ,though it is not authentic :)

Ingredients

Flour-50gm

Atta-100gm

Milk-50ml

Ghee-15gm

Water-200ml

Fennel powder-1 tsp

Oil to shallow fry

For Sugar Srup

Water-500ml

Sugar-200gms

Method

1.First make the sugar syrup with one string consistency,set aside

2.Mix all the above ingredients to make a batter.Set aside for 10 minutes

3.Heat the oil and pour the batter into small quantity to fry the malpua

4.Dip the malpuas in syrup and remove after 5 minutes

5.Serve with nuts or a scoop of icecream