SNC Anniversary Celebration

SNC completed one year few days ago. It has been possible for great team effort and togetherness. All the challenges were very interesting and challenging for all the team members. We all members are decided for celebrating by revising the memories throughout this one year. Thanks Divya Pramil for this lovely idea. Till now we have 24 recipes from both team members. I share some North Indian recipes which was already posted in my blog.

1. Gulab Jamun

2. Green Peas Kachori with Dum Aloo

3. Bhelpuri

Mangalore Bajji / Goli Bajje ~ A Mangalore Special - SN Challenge

I am so glad to celebrate this delightful journey of SNC till now. As you all know that Divya from You Too Can Cook runs this event successfully.  In this event is to exchange their recipes between two teams. One team is Northern team and another team Southern team. A member of northern team and a member of southern team will challenge the opposite team members with a recipe of their respective region recipes. After celebration month in this month Southern team challenge us Mangalore Bajji by Priya of Priya's Versatile Recipes and Northern team challenge with Litti Chokha by Nupur of UK Rasoi. Hats off Divya for this wonderful idea...Click here to participate..

Goli bajje, commonly known as Mangalore bajji is a very famous and traditional snack in Mangore Region. Its pair well with chutney and even ketchup. Goli bajje made from thick of maida, besan, very sour card and traditionally fried in coconut oil. If the card is sour enough, you can skip the fermentation of batter. Goli bajje is easy to make, soft and elastic but the taste is awesome. I used refined oil instead of coconut oil. Nice to have it in chilled or rainy weather for hot fried snacks with ketchup and a cup of tea.

Ingredients :

All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup
Besan - 1/4 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Coconut pieces - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1 tsp, finely chopped
Green chilli - 2 nos
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Few coriander leaves, chopped
Oil for frying

Method :

In a bowl add maida, besan, baking soda, curd, salt and sugar and slowly whisk to form a thick paste. Add water slowly make a batter, batter should not be too thick or too runny like a medu vada batter. Cover it an d keep it in a warm place overnight or minimum for 1 hour. Now add chopped coriander leaves, coconut pieces, green chilli, cumin seeds and mix well.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan. When oil hot enough then drop a tablespoon of batter to the hot oil and continue the same process. Fry on both sides until the bajjis turns golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or kasundi (a pungent mustard sauce)....

SNC Challenge - Maharashtrian Popular Roadside Dish ~ Misal Pav

SNC is a friendly and interesting foodie challenge between North and South Indian Team. Luckily we got SNC group created by Divya Pramil who gave us awesome chance to learn religion cuisines. This month its a celebration time because SNC has completed a successful year. Since its celebration month so Divya suggested to cook any of the12 previous challenge recipes. I chosed to cook from the challenges suggested by Northern team member Meena. Thanks Meena for this wonderful recipes. Really I enjoyed thoroughly making this popular Maharashtrian dish.

          Misal pav is one of the famous and popular street food in Mumbai. 'Misal' is a spicy gravy topped with various farsaan (namkeen). A variety of beans sprouts used in this curry makes it highly nutritious and protein rich. I have never had misal pav before but had been wanting to try this from a long time. The best time to have misal pav is during monsoons, the cloudy and cold weather. 

Ingredients :

Dry white peas - 200 gms
Pav buns as needed

To grind ~

Onion - 3 slices
Tomato - 2 chopped
Green chilli - 2
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
Coconut - 3/4th cup, grated
Oil - 1 tsp

For the Misal masala ~

Ground paste from above
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Water as needed

To serve ~

Farsan as required
Onion, finely chopped
Green chilli, finely chopped

Method :

Wash and soak the peas overnight in water. Next day, drain the water, add fresh water and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. The peas should be cooked soft but not be mushy and keep aside.

To make a ground paste ~ heat oil in a pan, saute onion until brown. Now add the green chilli, ginger-garlic paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato and cook until soften. Finally add grated coconut and fry for a minute.  Remove from the heat. Cool down and grind it into a smooth paste adding little water.

To make the gravy ~ Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds once it splutters then add all the dry masala powder, saute for a minutes in low flame. Take care not to burn the masala. Now add the groud masala paste and saute well. Cook for few minutes or until the oil starts to leave the sides of the pan. Now add salt and the cooked peas and mix well. Add water to get right consistency gravy. Let it boil for few minutes. Now the gravy is ready.

To serving ~ Make it just before you are ready to eat.

In a thali add misal and top it with farsan, chopped onion, green chilli and serve with the buns and salad.

Sending this to Recipe Junction's "Spotlight : Festive Treats" hosted by me, Guru's "Vegan Special'13", Cooking 4 all Season's "Side Dish Mela"

Paasi Paruppu Payasam / Moong Dal Kheer

Hello Friends!! I am glad to be a part of this wonderful SNC group, started by Divya Pramil of You Too Can Cook. I belong to the Northern Team and each month we have to complete provide by the Southerm Team. This month Divya on behalf of Southern Team challenged us Paasi Paruppu Payasam or Moong Dal Kheer. I never heard about this recipe before this challange. The idea of this event is that we learn so many different recipes from different region. Thanks Divya for sharing this wonderful traditional south indian payasam.

Paasi Paruppu Payasam / Kheer is a creamy dal pudding. This is delicately flavored with cardamom, coconut and nuts. This payasam is made with green gram dal or moong dal. This is so easy to make but each mouthful is heaven to drink. 

Ingredients : 

Yellow moong dal/ Paasi paruppu - 100 gms
Raw rice/ Pacharisi - 25 gms (I used basmati)
Jaggery - 200 gmsCashew nuts - 10-15 pcs
Cardamom pods -  3 pcs
Coconut pieces - 12, small
Milk - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp

 Procedure : 

Wash dal and rice in water and keep aside.

Grind coconut pieces and cardamom pods coarsely and set aside. (If you are using grated coconut grind the cardamoms alone, you can add grated coconut as it is)

Take jaggery, place inside the a paper and crush it into smaller pieces using a hammer. Put in a blender and grind jaggery into fine powder, set aside.

In a pressure cooker add moong dal, rice then pour 300 ml of water, close the lid, place the whistle and pressure cooker for 10 minutes on low flame. 

Open the lid after 10 minutes ot after the pressure drops.

Then mashed well the cooked dal. 

Pour the milk and place on low flame. Stir well.

This consistency will be perfect so, extra water is not necessary here but if you feel your dal is thick add a little more milk.

Then add jaggery powder and stir well. check the sweetness and more jaggery if necessary.

Add grated coconut or the prepared coarse coconut mixture and stir well . Cook for 2 minutes.

In another pan add ghee when it start to melt add cashew nuts and fry till it turns brown and add it to the payasam. (Always fry cashew on low flame else it will burn quickly and when it starts turning brown remove from flame and also see that the ghee is not smoky hot)

Remove from flame and serve them warm or cold. (As time goes the kheer will thicken, if it thickens up too much just place on flame, some more milk and stir well)

Enjoy with this delicious Paasi Paruppu Payasam / Moong Dal Kheer......

Tips ~

1. You can increase or decrease the sweetness according to your wish. Jaggery may contain some impurities and if you are not sure about it, just add some 100ml of water to jaggery powder and place on flame. Do not boil on high flam, we do not need any stirring consistencies here. When the jaggery dissolves completely strain and then pour it into the payasam.

2. Raw rice is purely optional. It does not make different in the taste. 

3. You can also add chopped almond and raisin along with cashew nuts.

4. Milk adds a richness and enhances the taste. 

5. The payasam/kheer should not be too thick nor too runny.

Sending this to Divya's "SNC Challenge" and Recipe junction's "Spotlight : Raksha Bandhan" event

Chettinad Pakoda Kuzhambu - SNC Challenge # 9

As you know, I am a part of South vs North challenge started by Divya of You Too Can Cook. There are divided two group among SNC members. Every month one member of each group will challenge to each other with their traditional dishes. This month Priya of Priya's versatile recipes challenged to Northern group with the dish "Chettinad Pakoda Kuzhambu" and me challenged to Southern group with our traditional sweet dish of Bengali Chanar Jalebi. 

As I belong to Northern group, so the challenge came from Priya. She challenged us their authentic dishes, Chettinad Pakora kuzhabu, one of the great, famous curry among Southern India. Thanks to Priya for challenging us with this beautiful kuzhabu. 

Chettinad is a small region in Tamilnadu famous widely known for its delicious flavors of South India. Chettinad Pakoda Kuzhambu is a very spicy and tasty vegetarian curry. Goes well as sides with variety rice and also with chapatis and roti. 

Ingredients : 

For Pakora ~

Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Dry red chilli - 3
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
salt to taste 
Oil for frying

Method ~

Soak chana dal for 2-3 hours. 

Take the soaked chana dal, dry red chilli, fennel seeds ans salt into grinder.

Grind it with a little bit of water and make a smooth paste.

I added some chopped onion and curry leaves into the paste.

Heat oil for frying in a pan.

Take a golf size ball of grounded mixture and pinch gently a small quantity of this mixture as shapeless pakoda and drop into the hot oil and fry the pakodas until turns golden brown. Keep aside.

For gravy ~

Onion - 2, chopped

Tomato - 2, chopped

Garlic - 6 pods

Green chilli - 2 nos

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

For seasoning ~

Cinnamon stick - 1inch

Cloves - 2 no

Green cardamoms - 2 no

Bay leaves - 2 no

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Few curry leaves

To Grind ~

Poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Coconut - 4 tbsp, finely chopped

Cashew nuts - 6 nos

Roasted chana dal - 1 tsp

Method :

Grind all the ingredients under the list 'to grind' as a fine paste with enough water.

Heat oil in a kadai, add all seasoning ingredients and fry until golden brown.

Add chopped onion, tomato, garlic, green chillies and saute until the veggies well cooked.

Now add ground paste, cook for 2 mins in low flame.

Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, mix well.

Now add 5 cups of water into the mixture. Cover and cook it medium flame. 

Once gravy is cooked add the pakodas and gently mix, bring boil the gravy once and switch off the gas.

Chettinad Pakoda Curry ready to serve.

Serve hot with roti...

Note :

1. When add the water if needed, once you add pakodas, they tends to absorb the gravy and finally no gravy will be left once the pakodas gets well cooked in gravy.

2. Don't stir the gravy after adding the pakodas.