Macaroni Payasam (Kheer)

Both my husband and I love pasta, and now a days even my little one started liking Mac & Cheese. Every time I open a pasta packet I wouldn’t finish it and have some leftover. To finish the remaining uncooked pasta, I end up buying same variety of pasta again.  Other day I felt like having payasam and searched for semiya, suddenly pasta pulled my attention and tried payasam with pasta. It was a big hit at home.

Ingredients:

Macaroni – 1/3 cup

Milk – 3 cups

Condensed milk  – 3 tbsp

Sugar –  3 tbsp (adjust according to your sweetness)

Saffron  – A pinch

Cardamom powder –  pinch

Butter/ Ghee-  1 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Method:

• Add ghee and macaroni to the pan; saute for a minute. Add 3 cups of warm milk and cook till the macaroni are fork tender

• Add saffron, condensed milk,  sugar, cardamom powder and salt, continue cooking for 4 – 6 minutes and switch off. Can  serve immediately or chill this overnight and serve it next day.

My Notes:

• Adding condensed milk gives rich creamy texture adjust the sugar accordingly
• Payasam tends to thicken more when cool down
• Usually I add cashew and raisin for payasam but other day missed to add while taking picture so I didn’t write in my recipe!
• I have used whole wheat pasta instead maida pasta can also be done
• If you are using penne, rotini, fettuccine, bow or any other pasta, cut the cooked pasta with ladle according to your taste

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Kasi Halwa (Poosanikai Halwa) – Guest Post for Sujitha Ruban

Couple of days ago Sujitha asked me to guest post for her blog. I am excited to do a guest post in Sujitha Easy Cooking blog. Like her blog name suggests, her recipes are easy for beginners. I found a wide variety of healthy recipes, yummy snacks, mouthwatering sweets, interesting cakes/ cookies and many more in Sujitha’s page. With her simple steps and step by step pictures, she makes it easy to follow her recipes.

Sujitha’s view on Traditionally Modern Food

Vidya Srinivasan is dedicated food blogger, When i request the guest post, happily she agreed and sent a sweet traditional recipe she is the Writer and Editor of Traditionallymordenfood, at first i have no clues from the blog tittle, when i have a look at her page, found some traditional Recipes with Modern touch.. great inspiring name i felt from her page.. She had a good collection of baking recipes, very interesting to read her simple step by step  instruction, as like the sweet post, vidya is such a sweet person

Thanks a lot for the opportunity Sujitha:-)

Kasi Halwa:

Ingredients:

White pumpkin – 2 Cups

Brown Sugar – 1 cup (Adjust according to your sweetness)

Ghee – 1/4 cup

Cashew and raisin – to garnish

Cardamom powder – pinch

Orange food color – pinch

Saffron – 1/8 tsp

Salt – pinch

Method:

• Grate the pumpkin and squeeze the water from the pumpkin. Keep the water for cooking pumpkin

• Add ghee to the pan and sauté the cashew nuts and raisin till cashew nuts are golden brown. Keep them aside
• In the same pan add the pumpkin water and bring to boil. When you see bubbles, add the grated pumpkin and cook in a low flame. Cook the pumpkin in a low flame till it becomes soft
  Add sugar and saffron strands. Continue cooking in medium flame

• Add food color, salt and remaining ghee and continue cooking till you see glossy texture and halwa leave the sides. Add cashew nuts, raisins and cardamom powder and mix well. Halwa is ready to serve

My Notes:

• White sugar can be used instead of brown sugar
• If the pumpkin is so watery add 1 cup of pumpkin water to cook pumpkin and add remaining water if required
• Halwa can be stored in fridge for 3-4 days and in room temperature for a day

Do checkout Kasi Halwa recipe in http://www.sujithaeasycooking.com/2015/01/guest-post-by-vidya-srinivasan.html

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Verkadalai Urundai

Kadalai mittai (Chikki) or kadalai Urundai is something I can’t say no any day. My Amma prepared Paruppu Thengai (Cone shaped Peanut jaggery sweet) for my son’s first birthday. At that time, after filling the cone she made some Urundai as I love them. Since karthigai deepam is nearing, I thought of posting this recipe.

Ingredients:

Peanut – 1 cup + 1/2 cup (I used Unsalted, roasted peanuts)

Jaggery – 3/4 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Rice flour / Ghee – to grease (I used Rice flour)

Method: 

•  Add jaggery and 1/2 cup of water. After the jaggery melts in water switch off and strain when it comes to room temperature, to remove impurities
• Take a little water in a small bowl. This is to check the consistency of the jaggery. Just add a few drops of  boiling jaggery into the water. If you could make it a hard ball, then switch off the flame. Otherwise allow it to boil till that consistency is reached

• Keep the peanuts in a wide bowl and pour the jaggery to it. Mix it nicely with a ladle

• Take some rice flour in a bowl and rub them in hands, and make some balls when it is warm. Do not leave for longtime as it will be difficult to handle if left for a longtime

My Notes:

• If peanut and jaggery become sticky and difficult to handle, heat it in low flame for few seconds and the jaggery will melt and can make balls easily
• Can add dry ginger while melting jaggery
• If you are using unroasted peanuts, dry Roast the peanuts and use it. If using the peanuts with skin, dry roast and rub the skin off
• Can be stored in air tight containers and kept in room temperature
• Avoid using excess Rice flour for greasing hand as it may leave a white layer. Ghee can also be used instead of rice flour

Paal Kozhukattai

Hope you all had a great Ganesh Chaturthi today. We had a great Pooja at home with Sweet Kozhukkatai, Ammini Kozhukattai, Wheat Appam and kondakadalai Sundal. I had prepared Paal Kozhukkatai couple of weeks back, and thought of posting it before Ganesh Chaturthi, but I couldn’t. Today evening, while tasting Kozhukattai I decided this is my today’s post. Many version to prepare this yummy dish, and this is one

Paal Kozhukattai

Preparation Time : 10 min |  Cooking Time : 15 mins  | Serves : 3

Recipe Category : Dessert/Sweet and Snack

Ingredients:

Kozhukattai:

Rice flour – 1 cup, sieved

Water – 1 cup + 1/4 cup

Salt – as needed

Coconut oil – 1 tsp

Ghee/Butter – 1 tsp

Paal:

Thin coconut milk – 1 cup

Thick coconut milk –  3/4 cup

Grated Coconut – 2 tbsp ( Optional)

Cardamom Powder – 1 tsp

Sugar/Jaggery – 1/2 cup (I have used Brown sugar) Adjust sugar according to your taste

Saffron – few strands ( optional)

Method:

For coconut Milk:

I used 2 cup of shredded frozen coconut. Add 1 cup  + 1/3 cup of water to the coconut and grind it. Filter the grinded coconut, and the resultant milk is the thick coconut milk. Add 1 cup of water once again to the coconut residue and grind once more. Filter it again, and the resultant milk is the thin coconut milk.

• Add saffron to the thick coconut milk and keep it aside
• In a sauce pan, add coconut oil and 1 cup of water and bring to boil. When it is boiling and you see bubbles, add the sieved flour (Have 1/4 cup of water boiled in separate pan/kettle)
• For the flour that I used, the extra 1/4 cup water was not needed. If you feel dough is dry, add 1 tbsp of water, else no need to add. Water added should be boiling hot water, so its better to keep 1/4 cup hot water separately

• Cook till it comes to non sticky dough consistency

• Add ghee and combine well. Cover the dough with damp cloth as they tend to dry

• When the dough is cool enough to handle, make small spheres (Marble Size). Since rice flour is gluten free they tend to be sticky, so greasing hand with coconut oil helps. Keep Aside

• Add thin coconut milk to the pan and bring it boil (Add water if required). When it starts boiling add kozhukattai

• After adding Kozhukattai first they all will sink to the bottom. Stir occasionally while cooking. They gradually raise. Once the kozhukattais are cooked, they float. Add sugar, coconut and cardamom powder and cook for 2- 3 minutes

• Add the thick coconut milk and switch off the flame

My Notes:

• Instead of using thin coconut milk, milk and water can also be used
• Milk and coconut powder can also used instead of thin coconut milk
• Can also steam Kozhukkatai and add them in thin coconut milk
• The measurement for water and thin coconut milk can be adjusted to our choice, it should be just enough for the balls to immerse
• Make sure thin coconut milk is bit watery to avoid curdling
• Milk can be added while preparing Kozhukattai dough
• For the Paal (milk) to blend well with the balls, you can roll small Kozhukattais. After switching off give 15-20 minutes standing time for milk to blend well
• Do not cook thick coconut milk for long time as there are chances for curdling
• Instead of sugar, jaggery syrup can also be used
• Instead of making balls, you can also dump the dough in a murukku achu and press it directly in thin coconut milk
• Traditionally raw rice is washed well and drained, spread in a towel till the moisture drains completely, and ground into a fine powder. Since it will take time, I have used store-bought Rice Flour
• Idiyappam flour can also be used to prepare Kozhukattai
• Can combine Rice flour and water to dosa batter consistency and add coconut oil and cook till you get a dough to the consistency similar to the one shown in above picture
• Can use store bought coconut milk. Add  water  for thin coconut milk

Baked Nei Appam

It is been a while since I tasted Nei Appam. Recently I saw my friend Priya’s Nei Appam. After seeing that I was so tempted to taste It, but the traditional method of preparation is a bit time consuming for me. Previously I used store-bought rice flour for Kozhukkatai, Seedai and thattai, so I used the same rice flour for an instant version. Instead of using Kuzhi Paniyaram pan (like I did for wheat appam), I baked them this time, as a couple of my friends who do not have kuzhi Paniyaram pan asked for a baked version.

Baked Nei Appam

Preparation time:  5mins  |  Cooking time: 20 mins

Recipe Category: Snacks/Sweet

Ingredients:

Rice Flour – 1 cup

Jaggery, grated – 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (Adjust according to your sweetness)

Fresh grated coconut – 3 tbsp

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Water – 2 tbsp

Salt – 1 pinch (optional)

Ghee (clarified butter) – 2 tbsp

Method:

• In a pan, add jaggery and water, and cook till jaggery melts. Add cardamom powder and coconut, and switch off

• Add rice flour and salt to jaggery and mix well without lumps. Let it come to room temperature

• Knead them into a pilable dough

• Grease the parchment paper with ghee and make small balls of batter and place it in the greased tray

• Bake them for 12 – 18 minutes turning sides in between. As they cook they expand and attain the Appam shape. Appam becomes crispy over time so remove from the oven before that stage

My Notes:

• If you are using kuzhi Paniyaram pan. The batter should be thick like idli batter (Dropping consistency).  Heat the kuzhi paniyaram pan (Aebelskiver mould) and when its hot, grease each indent with ghee. Pour batter into the mould till 3/4 full and let it cook for 2-3 mins till it becomes golden brown. Using a skewer or a spoon gently flip them over and let the other side also cook for 1-2 mins
• Banana can be added. Adding banana makes them soft
• If you doubt whether jaggery may have impurities, you can filter  them after melting
• If you want to reduce ghee, add a tsp of ghee in the batter and use oil for greasing
• Instead of baking/ using Paniyaram pan, you can also deep fry them in oil. Just pour a small ladle full of batter into hot oil and cook till golden brown, flip it over and when cooked, drain onto a kitchen paper

Baked Uppu Seedai

For Gokulashtami, I had prepared this Baked Seedai. I have never made seedai before. Last year I wanted to do, but my mom alarmed me saying Seedai may burst, so I was scared!. This year, I badly wanted to do all the Gokulashtami special items, as this was the first Gokulashtami for my “Kutti Krishna” (My 9 month old son). I called my mom to ask about seedai proportions, and she again said a big no, and this time even stronger! My sis casually asked me why can’t I bake seedai, like baked Pakoda and Bonda, so that mom won’t get scared with me using hot oil for seedai. Why didn’t this strike me!  I wanted to try my luck baking seedai, and was happy with the result. Believe me, if you give baked seedai and deep fried seedai to someone, no one can find the difference in taste (except for the color)

Baked Uppu Seedai

Preparation Time : 10 min |  Cooking Time : 25 – 30 minutes

Recipe Category : Snack

Ingredients:

Rice Flour – 1 cup

Roasted Urad Dal Flour – 2 tbsp

Asafotida/Hing – 1/8 tsp

Coconut – 2 tbsp

Coconut Oil – 1/4 tsp ( to grease hands)

Salt – as needed

Butter/Oil – 3 tbsp + 1 tsp ( I used Butter, use oil for vegan)

Oil – to grease parchment paper

For urad dhal Flour:

Take 1/4cup of whole urad Dal and dry roast till they are golden brown. When it comes to room temperature, grind them into fine powder

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper with  oil
• Dry roast the rice flour in low flame for 2/3 minutes. Do not overcook till they change color.
• In a wide vessel, add the rice flour and 2 tblsp of urad dal flour and salt. Sieve them for even mixing

• Add butter and coconut to the sieved flour and mix well. Add water slowly and knead them into a pliable dough

• Grease your hands with coconut oil and make small balls. Place them on the parchment paper

• Bake them for 20-30 minutes. Check half way through and toss them for even baking

My Notes:

• Cumin seeds, sesame seeds and Chana Dal can be added
• If you are frying, the seedai has to be fried in a medium low flame, as it will help for even cooking. Heat oil in a pan, When the oil becomes hot gently put the seedai balls to the oil. Cook till the oil sound subsides.
• I used the store-bought rice flour. Alternatively you can wash and soak the raw rice for 1/2 hours and dry them in a cloth till mositure completely dries, and grind them into fine powder
• The seedai dough should not be too tight. Otherwise the seedai will get cracked
• Do not roll the seedai too hard

Carrot Almond Payasam

As a kid, I was a picky eater when it came to vegetables. Don’t know why, but I always hated carrots and beetroots. But I used to eat sweets like beetroot halwa, carrot halwa and cartot Payasam. Anything that comes in a sweet/dessert form – its a big Yesss from me. I gradually started liking carrot and beetroot in veggie form as well.  Whenever I see beetroot and carrot in fridge, I always have this urge to prepare sweets. Hubby makes sure I am not doing any sweet with those veggies 😦  Though I have prepared this dessert earlier, today being the first day of the tamil month Aadi (Aadi Friday in some places), thought of making this healthy and special payasam for the auspicious day.

Carrot Almond Payasam:

Preparation Time : 5 min | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Serves : 4

Recipe Category: Dessert

Ingredients:

Carrot – 4 medium peeled and cut into big chunks

Almonds – 1/3 cup (I used whole, but if you don’t like the skin, blanch, remove skin and then use it)

Milk  –  3 cup

Condensed milk – 3 tbsp

Sugar -1/3 cup

Cardamom – 2 pods

Almonds – few for garnish

Saffron – few strand (soak them in a tbsp. of milk)

Method:

• In a pressure cooker, add carrots, almonds, cardamom and 1 cup of milk, cook for 2-3 whistles and switch off. When it cone to room temperature blend then into fine puree

• In a sauce pan, add carrot puree and remaining milk, let them boil. When it starts boiling, add condensed milk, sugar and soaked saffron. Boil for 5- 10 minutes or till  they became thick. Garnish with some sliced almonds if desired. Serve hot or cold

My Notes:

• A saucepan can also be used instead of the pressure cooker. In a saucepan, take the chopped carrots, almonds (whole or blanched). Pour milk and cover. Boil till carrots are fork tender. Turn off the heat and let it cool
• Instead of grinding carrots, you can grate them and add. In that case skip cooking carrots with almonds, directly add carrot to the cooked and ground Almonds
• If you are vegan, use thin coconut milk to cook carrot and almonds and thick coconut milk at the end
• Instead of milk can cook carrot and almonds with water and can add milk while cooking Payasam
• Same procedure can be followed for beetroot payasam
• Same procedure can be followed for any kheer – Walnut, Cashew, Pistachio etc