KARA BOONDI

KARA BOONDI

 spicy deep fried snack, made of gram flour batter and spices

     INGREDIENTS:

1.  1 cup besan (bengal gram flour)
2. 1 tsp rice flour
3. baking powder - a pinch
4. edible orange color - a pinch
5. 10-15 curry leaves
6. 6-7 garlic flakes
7. 1 tsp red chili powder
8. salt to taste
9. 1/4 cup peanuts

 METHOD:

• Combine besan, rice flour, baking powder and orange color in a mixing bowl. Add enough water to make it like bajji batter. It should not be too thick and too watery. 
• Heat oil in a kadhai. Take boondi ladle or normal ladle with small holes and keep on top of the oil at a distance.
• Pour a large spoonful of batter on the ladle and tap with the spoon. Droplets will fall in oil.
• Fry till the oil sputtering sound stops and remove boondi from the oil. Drain the oil using absorbent tissue paper. Proceed with the remaining batter.
• Heat oil in another kadhai and fry curry leaves, garlic flakes and peanuts. Mix it with boondi.
• Add red chili powder and salt to taste. Mix everything well. Store in an air-tight container. Serve as it is or mix with puffed rice and serve.

BOONDI LADOO

 

BOONDI LADOO

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gram flour (besan)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water adjusted as needed
• 1 1/2  cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
• 6 green cardamom pods (ilaichi)
• Oil to deep fry

Utensils:
     Perforated Spoon, Skimmer, or Ladle:
     The critical part of boondi making is to use the right kind of utensil for the     batter  to drop through the holes into the hot oil to form the little pearl shaped fried balls.  To accomplish this you need to use a flat skimmer, strainer or perforated ladle that has several round holes on the surface, each about the size of a whole black peppercorn.

Method

1. Crack open the cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Crush the seeds and keep aside.
2. Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. When the syrup comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium and stir to dissolve the sugar. Let it simmer until the syrup is about half thread consistency or 220 degrees on the candy thermometer.
3. Mix the gram flour with water to make a smooth pancake-like batter or slightly thicker than dosa batter.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. The frying pan should have at least 1 1/2 inches of oil. Tip: To test if the oil is the right temperature, drop a pinch of batter into the oil; if it rises immediately without changing color then the oil is ready to start frying the
5. Hold the skimmer about 1 to 1 1/2 inches above the oil over the center of the frying pan with one hand. With your other hand pour some of the batter onto the skimmer to cover all of the holes without spilling over the edge of the skimmer. Tip: if you hold the skimmer higher than 11/2 inches above the oil boondi will not be round.
6. The batter will start dropping through the holes into the oil. If the batter doesn’t drop right away through the holes, pour the batter on the skimmer back into the batter bowl, mix a little more water to the batter and start again. Drop enough boondi into the oil so they just cover the surface of the oil in frying pan in a single layer
7. Fry them until the sound of sizzling stops and boondis are light gold in color but not crispy! Lift the boondi out of the oil with a slotted spoon (this allows excess oil to drip back into the frying pan) and put them directly into the warm syrup and mix.*
8. Before making the next batch of boondi, wipe clean the skimmer. This helps to keep the boondi round.
9. Repeat the process of making boondi and adding to the syrup with rest of the batter. You may have to adjust the heat in between making boondis.
10. When finished frying the boondi, let them soak in the syrup for few minutes.
11. Add the crushed cardamom seeds and sliced almonds to the syrup.
12. Now drain off the excess syrup.
13. If the boondis are still hot, let them sit only until they are warm enough to handle – don’t let them to cool off. If the boondis become cold you will not be able to form them into ladoos.
14. To make the ladoos, scoop up some of the boondi mixture into your palm with a spoon. Gently squeeze the mixture between both palms to shape into a round ball about the size of a golf ball. As you are squeezing some of the syrup will come out.  You can make the ladoo larger or smaller if you have a preference.
15. As you finish making each ladoo, put it on a plate and continue on to make the next ladoo.
16. As the Ladoos cool to room temperature they will become firm but they should still be moist.
17. Ladoos will keep at room temperature in a covered container for up to 10 days and for one month in the refrigerator.

Tips

1. If the syrup is not of the right temperature, you will not be able to form the ladoos.
2. If the boondis cool down to room temperature before being shaped into balls, the sugar will crystallize.
3. If you are not able to make ladoos, don’t worry. You can still enjoy them as “meethi boondi” or sweet boondi.

CUP CAKE

CUP CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs


METHOD:
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Add shortening, milk, and vanilla.  Beat for 1 minute on medium speed.  Scrape side of bowl with a spatula.
Add eggs to the mixture.  Beat for 1 minute on medium speed.  Scrape bowl again.  Beat on high speed for 1 minute 30 seconds until well mixed.
Spoon cupcake batter into paper liners until 1/2 to 2/3 full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 5 minutes in pans then remove and place on wire racks to cool completely.
Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with your favorite frosting recipe or decorate as you desire.

OATS UPMA

OATS UPMA

Ingredients:

Carrot,chopped 1 medium
French beans,chopped 3-4
Oatmeal 1 cup
Onion    1 medium
Tomato 1medium
Ginger garlic paste 1teaspoon 
Green chillies 2
Oil 2-3 tablespoons
Mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida a pinch
Curry leaves 4-6
Salt to taste

Method:

Dry roast oats in a non-stick pan for 2 minutes and set aside. Chop onion and ginger. Halve green chillies. Heat oil in another non-stick pan and add mustard seeds. When it starts to splutter,add cumin seeds and sauté till fragrant. 

Add asafoetida, ginger garlic paste, green chillies and sauté. Add onion, carrot, French beans, curry leaves and salt. Add ¾ cup water and boil till the vegetables are cooked. Add oats and mix well. Reduce heat and cook till the oats are done. Serve hot. 

tips

 For smelly plastic food containers toss a ball of newspaper into container and seal lid. Smell will be gone in a few days, stronger smells may take longer.

FISH CUTLET

Ingredients

Fish fillets - 3-4
Onion - 1/2 (grated)
Garlic - 3 cloves (grated)
Ginger - 1"slice (grated)
Green chillies-2
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted gram powder-2tbspn
Cornflour-2tspn
Oats-2tspn
Oil - for frying

Method

1. Take water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add the fish fillets to the water and let it cook nicely (till the fish turns opaque).

2. Remove the fish from the water and shred it into small pieces.

3.In a bowl take onions, ginger,garlic,Green chillies

4. Add the shredded fish to it along with garam masala, salt, chilly powder,  cumin powder,Oats,Roasted gram powder and Cornflour.

5. Keep stirring the mixture until it becomes very dry.Mix everything nicely with hands.

6. Make small round balls out of the cutlet mixture and shape it into patties. You can make any shape - round, oval, heart shape, cylindrical etc.

7.shallow fry or bake these cutlets.

8. Serve hot with ketchup or hot sauce.

Tips
- You can add any vegetables of your choice to the cutlet mixture to enrich its nutritional value.

Senagapappu cabbage kura (Chana dal cabbage curry)

Senagapappu cabbage kura

Ingridients:-

Cabbage- 500gms
Chana dal  / senagapappu - 1/2 cup
Onion-2
Tomatoes-2
Green chillies -2
Red chilly powder-1tspn
Dhaniya-3tsps
Cinoman-1 inch
Cloves-2
Redchillies -2
Garlic cloves -5
Ginger small piece
Mustard seeds -1 tspn
Cumin seeds- 1tspn
Turmeric powder -1/2 tspn
Roasted chana dal(putnalu)-1tspn
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
add 3 to 4 tspns of oil.

Method :

1.Soak chana dal atleast for an hour.
2. Put  soaked Channa dal , chopped cabbage, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chillies,salt,red chilly powder,turmeric powder and 2 cups of water In a  pressure cooker  cook till 2 whistles. Turn off the flame and wait until the pressure go off.
3.Roast dhaniya with cloves and cinnamon and powder it.
4. Then add dhaniya powderAnd cook for another 2 minutes.
5.Heat oil in the kadai, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves,and ginger, garlic paste stir for a few seconds  Remove from the heat and pour over the cooked cabbage mixture. Mix well 
garnish with coriander leaves
6.Serve hot with rice, chapathies and  pulkas
2.