Sambha Godhambhu Uppuma

A quick and easy one…..for breakfast or dinner.

To make Sambha Godhambhu (broken wheat) uppuma:

1. Chop 2 onions and slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 red chilly. Chop 1 carrot/ 10-15 beans. Can also add some groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai. Some curry leaves for seasoning.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tbsp mustard seed, few uzhudu dhal seed, few kadala paruppu and groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped, slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 red chilly and fry it until they are done. Add chopped vegetables (carrot and beans), curry leaves and stir fry. Then add 2 and ½ glass of water for every glass of Sambha Godhambhu. Allow the water to boil thoroughly.

3.Then add the sambha Ghodhambu to the above mix slowly. As you pour it in the boiling water, stir it continuously so that no lumps are formed and mix it thoroughly. Close it with a lid and simmer the burner. Let it cook for some 5- 10 mintues. Frequently, indulge by mixing it so that the bottom portion comes at the top and top portion goes at the bottom.

Voila, yummy sambha Ghodhambu uppuma!!!!!

Good for diabetic people…and for health conscious people…:D

Ragi Illa Adda

let me post the Ragi Illa (banana leaf) Adda…

The stuffing goes into the adda:

To the grated coconut, add 1-2 tsp of sugar (according to your taste). Then add some powdered cloves to it and mix thoroughly. Instead of sugar, one can add grated jaggerry too.

How to prepare Ragi Adda:

Add some salt to water and pour it on the ragi powder and rice powder and mix it thoroughly so that it becomes a dough just like one prepare for chappathi. One can also add some jeeram seeds while doing the dough.

Take a ball of dough(tennis ball), and press it smoothly on a small piece of banana leaf ( 10 * 10 cm) to make it a layer covering the whole of the leaf.

Then spread the stuffing over this ragi + rice dough layer and fold the whole layer by half like a notebook fold.

Keep inside iddili cooker or the normal pressure cooker without whistle.
Allow it to cook for 10-15 mintues.

Godambhu Illa Adda

Let me post the Godambhu (Wheat) Illa (banana leaf) Adda…

The stuffing goes into the adda:

To the grated coconut, add 1-2 tsp of sugar (according to your taste). Then add some powdered cloves to it and mix thoroughly. Instead of sugar, one can add grated jaggerry too.

How to prepare Godambhu Adda:

Add some salt to water and pour it on the wheat/atta powder and mix it thoroughly so that it becomes a dough just like one prepare for chappathi. One can also add some jeeram seeds while doing the dough.

Take a ball of dough(tennis ball), and press it smoothly on a small piece of banana leaf ( 10 * 10 cm) to make it a layer covering the whole of the leaf.

Then spread the stuffing over this wheat dough layer and fold the whole layer by half like a notebook fold.

Keep inside iddili cooker or the normal pressure cooker without whistle.

Allow it to cook for 10-15 mintues.

Ari Illa Adda

I remember my amma inviting my brother and me from a long day at school with hot hot simmering Illa Adda…

I tried to prepare couple of it with different dough……..

First let me post the Ari (Rice) Illa (banana leaf) Adda…

First let us see the stuffing that goes into the adda:

To the grated coconut, add 1-2 tsp of sugar (according to your taste). Then add some powdered cloves to it and mix thoroughly. Instead of sugar, one can add grated jaggerry too.

How to prepare Ari Adda:

Boil some water, add some salt and pour it on the rice powder and mix it thoroughly so that it becomes a dough just like one prepare for chappathi. One can also add some jeeram seeds while doing the dough.

Take a ball of dough(tennis ball), and press it smoothly on a small piece of banana leaf ( 10 * 10 cm) to make it a layer covering the whole of the leaf.

Then spread the stuffing over this rice dough layer and fold the whole layer by half like a notebook fold.

Keep inside iddili cooker or the normal pressure cooker without whistle.
Allow it to cook for 10-15 mintues.

Javvarissi uppuma/ Sagoo uppuma/ sabudhana (Maharastrian Dish)

Here is something special that you can try for a breakfast or as evening tiffin....

How to make Sabudhana:

1.Soak 1 cup of fine Javvarissi in water (water level should be ½ inches above the sagoo level overnight. In the morning, the Javvarissi would have become soggy. The javvarissi should be separate and soft.

2. Fry the ground nut ( required quantity) in a kadai and grind it coarsely in a food processor. To little bit of coarsely grinded ground nut powder, add 2 green chilly and grind it sprinkling little water. Mix the ground nut powder and the ground nut powder grinded with green chilies with the soaked sagoo.

3. Boil 1 potato and mash it with your hands. Mix it with the above mixing.

4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tbsp mustard seed, few 1 tbsp of jeerakam seed, add few urdhu dhall seeds, add 1/2 cup finely chopped onions, some chopped cashnew nuts/ badam, 2-3 green chilly [cut lengthwise]. Sim the burner. Fry till light brown. Add curry leaves and stir fry.

5. To the above, add the sagoo mix. Mix it well and cook until the sagoo becomes completely transparent. Sprinkle some salt to taste and mix well. Remove from fire, add juice of 1 lemon and mix well. Then add 3tbsps grated coconut (optional) and mix well.

Payaru thoran

I don’t know what to call this bean (Legume)..I call it “payaru”…”Chonna (red) payaru”..

There are other types ”Paccha (green) payaru” …”paasi payaru” for making pongal….Rajma…konda kadala…Channa….Let us not waste time in naming these beans….I called it plain…”payaru”….

I wanna to join the event listed way below…..Hence thought I would cook some beans….the typical pozhukku….(boiled) which is my favourite and my friends used to tease me in my school days “malayali dish”……every other day my amma prepares any of the legumes as side dish…with curd rice…Yum….

How to prepare Payaru thoran:
1. Soak the payaru (2 cup..according to your wish) overnight
2. Wash it with fresh water and pressure cook it for 2-3 whistles. You can add a pinch of salt while pressure cooking or later.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tbsp mustard seed, few uzhudu dhal seed, few kadala paruppu. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped, slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 red chilly and 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and fry it until they are done. Add salt to taste. Add curry leaves and stir fry.
4. To the above, add the boiled payaru. Mix it well and cook it for 2-3 mintues.

Payaru thoran..... I’m sending to Cococooks who is guest hosting "MLLA-10th helping",an event started by Susan.

Vishnu Sadhya…..

It’s the evening of 13th April, 2009 before the vishu day..keralite’s new year day (first day of Malayalese month of Medam )….I was frantically trying to find some kani konna (photo courtesy : Internet)…to keep for the kani the next day early morning, the D day (14th April 2009)…Hardly any tree around my place….Searched searched lane by lane……. efforts turned out to be fruitless and returned back home .. ….satisfied half heartedly that we got vellarikkiya (yellow cucumber) atleast and other fruits…other types of flowers…..(photo courtesy : Internet)…In the pooja room, in an ottu urulli, rice is spread out first…..we kept mirror, vellarikkiya , some gold coins…..all denominations of Indian rupees and coins…...Gold necklace….silk saree…. …all fruits…apple, orange, grapes, banana, mango, coconut …some dhaniya varieties….then Vellakku…coconut cut into half…filled with oil …and a thick thiri lit inside it…all deities photographs are decorated with fresh mallippuvu malla…
(photo courtesy : Internet)…
It reminds me of my childhood days… I had spent most of my Vishu celebration in my mother’s home…I have 5 uncles (mammen) and 3 aunties (ammayi), Velliama, memma (mother’s younger sister), ammama (grandmother), my 12 cousins (3 younger to me) …It was a huge crowd …ho…a big joint family….there….with lots of noise around ….every room, kitchen, and mittam (front yard)…and backyard…lots of cows…chickens, ducks….We, bunch of kids, will chase these ducks continuously making their throat to come out…running around the parambu…and chetans (big brother’s) dragging us from one side……sitting on a pala (at one side)…scratching our backside….collecting mango’s early in the morning whatever has fallen in the night….., gathering cocunuts to one place after a thengukayarel…..lots of work….then cleaning of jackfruit…..humongous task…aunties will drop down couple of jackfruit…not so ripe one…for the chakka mazhukkuvaratthi preparation….which goes with kanji…. We, bunch of cousins, after applying some coconut oil on the hand gets involved in plucking the jackfruit chola… remove the chavana and chandi and kooru…. Aunties cut these chola’s into small pieces for preparing kuttan…or if the fruit turns up to be apt for the chakka upperi, then they will cut into elongated strips...They make chakka varati too in a big urulli……Then it is also mango season…So both mango and chakka makes our stomach churn and we end up in vayar-illakkam (loose motion) making frequent visits to parambu…pieing here and there……landing up in problems when our adorable Vellimammen (big uncle)..when he unknowingly stamps on one of our dropping…”Dya, iyi pizhleru avidey ividey thoorivechiunndu….da, thenghindey choovatill thoori ya madi..nalla vallamma…chey, njan ariyadey chavitti…nasam”… those days were fun and enjoyable...Ah..those days were memorable…..Sorry for the digression as usual….

So on the early hours of Vishu morning, team of people would come and place the “Vishu Kani” (a stand with god’s pictures …and the whole package itself) in front of the main door and knock, knock us and quickly go and hide themselves by the side of the house….We open the door and open our eyes to see the first sight of kani… They give us the bhasmam (ash powder which we apply it on our forehead) and sometimes kaineetam…..my uncle would give them some kaineetam too….In one of the occasion, my brother got 25 ps coin while he was given the bhasmam and my ammama was happy and said that he will become rich in future!!!! Ah, what a implication!!!....

The times when we don’t go to Kerala for vacation, my amma assemble the “kani kanal” in the pooja room the previous night. In the morning, my acchan wakes me up and blind fold us with his palm and escort to where this whole decoration is done…We open our sleepy eyes to see the well lit pooja room with Vellakku ..and “Lord Krishnan’s photo”…and “Kannada”…My acchan would say “Mukam kannadillu nokku…cherikku…”…We’ll look at each item displayed with wide eyes…pray.....Believe is that the fortune of the rest of the year depends on the first object they see on the Vishu day …whatever we experience and taste the first day, will be carried forward throughout the year…So they say “Kannu narachhu kannanam”…(see everything in abundance)….. …..Then we will be asked to take bath..and visit the nearest temple wearing new dress…Kodi…then the much awaited program of the day..”Kaineettam”… this custom will ensure prosperity for their children in future....it is a 1 Rs. Coin from Acchan..or if it is in Kerala, from each and every uncle and aunty and ammama…We will get a huge collection by the end of the day to buy some mittai from the nearest petti kada or colorful bar-ice which comes on the road in a ice-petti….In the evening, we burst some fire crackers, Patassu, to mark the day.

Then amma will be busy with her endless sadhya list….sambhar, mooru kuttan, olan, avyial, kalan, kuttu karri, puzhi-inzi or inzipuzhi, pappadam, payasam, upperi, etc etc….and we ate on banana leaf with everything spread on it…sitting on the floor…and running our hand here and there to avoid payasam from running out of the leaf….burping to glory….and after that a sound afternoon nap….Go for a malayalam movie that will be screened by the “Kerala Samajam” …..and dinner will be the left overs of the lunch preparation…..Ah! those days……

Thanks to my cook. She turned up early in the morning…I helped her with couple of dishes....Had plenty of time to watch couple of shows on Asianet and Sun TV…juggling between the two…My lilliputs hampering in between with Pogo…..My hubby’s cheriamma and his son visited us…We enjoyed the vishu kani in Asianet…they were screening it for sometime...Having got up early in the morning to see the kani, my children went for a second round of siesta in the morning…they slept for solid 2 hours…which helped me in many ways to finish off the remaining household chores…..Around 1 0’ clock, we had our sadhya and my children were delighted to have their lunch on banana leaf which my hubby was lucky enough to grab few pieces from the market…..Funny part is, my children enjoyed the sadhya with cheetos aur “Chotta bheem”…!!!! What a modernization….

Coming to my part…
Here are my Sadhya …….

Sambhar….with mango slices and drumstick….



Morukuttan …..with elavan and lady’s finger…


Bean’s thoran


Mango pacchadi




Brinjal puli kozhambu



Vermicelli Payasam




Paruppu Vada



Happy vishu…

Ragi Sevai Uppuma

We hit the beach yesterday evening (Sunday, 12 April 2009)…. Easter day..…We found some place to sit comfortably and peacefully….my children came armed with their beach play set..they were having gala time…throwing sand at each other….making big mountains….house and whatever they could imagine….After they got bored with the sand, my hubby and children rushed towards the water to enjoy the cold water touching their small feet …..got drenched in the water from top to bottom…..My hubby’s school mate and his family met us up the beach..….We spend some time together and departed when it started to become dark….We snacked on some sondal and masala pori….on the way back home……

Prepared Ragi Sevai uppuma for dinner…A quick and easy one…..

To make Ragi Sevai uppuma:

1. Soak the Ragi Sevai in water for 2-3 minutes. Add salt to this water while soaking. Sieve it so that water drains off completely. Make sure the Ragi Sevai should not become more soggy. Keep it aside. After say 5 minutes, pressure cooker it for 5 minutes.

2. Chop 2 onions and slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 red chilly. Can also add some groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai. Some curry leaves for seasoning.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tbsp mustard seed, few uzhudu dhal seed, few kadala paruppu and groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped, slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 red chilly and fry it until they are done. Add curry leaves and stir fry.

4.Then add the cooked Ragi Sevai to the above mix, and mix it well thoroughly using fork(sim the burner)…….. Voila, Ragi Sevai uppuma!!!!!

Aloo Bread Sandwitch

This weekend, I had been doing some cooking for my family….This is what I made for my children….Kids would love to have a grab….Try it….

To make stuffing for Aloo Bread Sandwitch:

1. Boil couple of big potatoes in a pressure cooker. Once done, peal off the skin and chop it into small pieces or one can mash it with hands and add little salt to taste. Keep it aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add few uzhudu dhal seed and few kadala paruppu. Sim the burner so that these dhal seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped and 2 chopped tomatoes, 2 green chilly, curry leaves and stir fry it. Add salt to taste.
3. To the above seasoning, add chopped or mashed potatoes and mix thoroughly.

To make Aloo Bread Sandwitch:

1. Place the stuffing in between two bread slices.

It could be plain sandwitch bread. I used atta bread.

2. Keep it inside the bread toaster. And remove once it’s surface becomes slight brown.

Lemon Rice - The Yellow Rice

Here is how I prepare Lemon Rice…..My son’s favorite , the yellow rice……

To make Lemon Rice :
1. Take 2 cup of already cooked rice. To it , add salt to taste and lemon juice of 2 lemon. Mix it thoroughly and keep it aside.
2. Chop 2 onions and slit 2 green chilies, 2-3 dry red chillies, some curry leaves for seasoning. Can also add some groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai and some vegetables (grated carrot or chopped beans)..Here I've not added.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tbsp mustard seed, few uzhudu dhal seed, few kadala paruppu. Then add groundnut and pottu (chutney) kadalai and stir fry. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped and fry it until they are slightly golden. Add curry leaves and stir.

4.Then add the rice to the above mix, and mix it well thoroughly (sim the burner).

Tatadaaaaaaaaaaaaa.................Lemon Rice is ready!!!!!

Aval Uppuma and Carrot Chutney

(Breakfast : Aval Uppuma with Carrot chutney)

It’s Good Friday today…10/04/2009…Being an early riser, my eyes opened sharply at 6 0’clock in the morning with no hesitation...….with a nagging thought that I’ve to go to office when my dear hubby has a holiday and dear children is enjoying their summer vacation…..I was in no mood to get up from my cousy bed….But had to at least to open the gate for my cook…….I picked up the milk packets and newspaper scattered in the front porch…..my usual ritual in the morning……I waited and waited till 7 o’clock for my cook…She didn’t turn up…me scratching my head entered the kitchen to do some breakfast for the family… …It’s been long time since I’ve cooked a real full course…..have become a lazy bum…..I settled myself to cook some Aval uppuma and chutney for breakfast…….

To make Aval Uppuma :

1. Take 2 cup of Aval and wash it thoroughly with water 2-3 times. Sieve the washed Aval so that water drains off completely. Make sure the Aval should not become more soggy.

2. Add 1tsp of salt to this soaked Aval and mix thoroughly so that it is equally distributed. Keep it aside for 5 minutes.

3. In the mean time, Chop 3 large Green bell Peppers/Capsicums into smaller pieces. Then chop 2 tomatoes and 2 onions and slit 2 green chilies, some curry leaves for seasoning.

4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add 1 tbsp mustard seed, few uzhudu dhal seed, few kadala paruppu. Sim the burner so that these seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped and fry it until they are slightly golden. Add curry leaves and stir. Then add 2 chopped tomatoes to the mix and stir fry. Then add the chopped capsicums and fry for a minute or 2 till it is soft.

5.Then add the soaked Aval to the above mix, and mix it well thoroughly (sim the burner). Later you can mix some grated coconut over it. Aval uppuma is ready!!!!!

To make Carrot-chutney:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add few uzhudu dhal seed and few kadala paruppu. Sim the burner so that these dhal seeds do not get charred. When the seeds change the color to light brown, add 2 onions chopped and 2 chopped tomatoes, 2 green chilly and 1 big chopped carrot. Fry it till it becomes soft. Add salt to taste. Let it cool down.

2. Grind the above mix.

3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai, add few mustard seed. Allow it to burst. Then add the curry leaves and immediately remove from the burner. Pour it on the grinded mix.

Viola!!! Carrot chutney …..

Aval Uppuma and Carrot Chutney ...I'm sending to Neha's "FIC-Red and Green", event started by Harini and to Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers