Taste of Saras

I wish everyone a A Very Happy Deepavali that's blessed with tons of love,happiness,good health,wealth and prosperity on this day and always. Deepavali is a traditional and a colorful festival celebrated by all the Hindu worldwide which is also know as the Festival of Lights. Deepavali is celebrated in the month of Aipasi in the Hindu calendar. In every Hindu house,they ladies draw Kolam on the main entrance and new clothes are place infront of the alter smeared with sandal paste. There's an interesting legend behind the festival. A demon named Narakasurn ruled the kingdom of Pradoshapuram . Many suffered under his ruler and seeing the sufferings of the people and the evilness of the demon Lord Krishna destroy him. The died of the demon is celebrated as Deepavali . On Deepavali day Indian take oil bath and wear new clothes. The houses would be decorated with oil lamps and children will play with firecrackers to celebrate the festival. On this day tons of mouth-waterin

Deepavali Special:Thattu Vadai Ingredients Serving Size:5 3 cups rice flour 1/4 cup channal daal soaked for 4hrs 2tbsp crushed peppercorns 1tsp chili powder 1/4tsp hing 1tsp baking soda 1tsp cumin seeds 5curry leaves 5 dried chilies 3 garlic cloves 2tbsp warm water salt to taste Preparation Methods: Grind dried chilie,garlic and curry leaves with 2tbsp of warm water to smooth paste. In large bowl add all the ingredients and grind paste and enough water and knead to a smooth dough. Take a palm ful of the dough and rolled into a small ping pong ball size. Then press then into a circular shape on a plastic sheet or wax paper. Heat a wok on medium heat with oil and drop these vadai one by one slowly. Do not overcrowd the wok. Deep fry them til they turn golden brown. Drain and serve hot.

Deepavali Recipe :Ashoka Halwa This halwa is made with the combination of paasi paruppu,wheat and all purpose flour. I'm preparing this halwa for the first time and came out great. The taste was somehow totaly different from other halwa. Serving size:5 Ingredients: 1 cup paasi paruppu 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup wheat flour 3 cup sugar 1.5 cup melted ghee 1/4 cup hot milk few drops of red food coloring 1/2 tsp cardamom powder 2tbsp cashew nuts 1tbsp raisins Preparation Method: Pressure cook mung beans with about 3 cups of water and sugar till soft and mash till smooth. On low flame heat ghee on a non-stick pan and add the flours stirring continuously until there is no lumps.Then add hot milk and let it dissolve in the flour mixture. Now add the mashed mung daal, cardamon powder,cashew nuts,raisins and food color stirring well til the halwa leaves sides of the pan. Transfer it to a greased plate and cool for some time and cut it into desired pieces.

Idiyaapam (String Hoppers) This morning I was cracking my head not knowing what to make for breakfast for my son. That's when one of my friend from Singapore came online for a chat. While chatting she mentioned that she had Idiyaapam with chicken curry for dinner. Idiyaapam...that's my favorite breakfast item. When I was in Singapore I used to have Idiyaapm for break with freshly grated coconut,red sugar and sudhi(simply curry made with coconut milk).I decided to make Idiyaapm for breakfast. Idiyaapam is made with raw rice.We must soak raw for 5 hrs and then dry it and grind to powder...but for my recipe I'm using rice flour. It's much easier to make. It could also made with the combination of ragi and rice flour but I prefer to use only rice flour. Anyway this is my version of making Idyiaapam...if there's any other method pls share it with me. Serving Size:2 Ingredients 1 cup rice flour 1 cup water or as required salt to taste 2tsp

Deepavali Special: Spicy Murukku Murukku is made from a mixture of besen and rice flour and salt using a special coil to press out the shapes.Murukku can also be rolled into a flat ribbon (ribbon murukku) or shaped by hand (kai murukku) and traditionally enjoyed as a treat on Deepavali. Serving size:5 Ingredients 5 cups rice flour 2.5 cup besan flour 1tsp black sesame seeds 1/2tsp oma seeds 2tbsp chillie powder 1tsp hing powder 1 cup hot oil warm water oil for deep frying Preparation Methods: In large bowl mix all ingredient expect water oil. Knead the mixture into a soft dough by add the hot oil and enough of warm water. Then place a good amount of the dough into the murukku maker and press out the shape onto wax paper. By using wax paper, murukku will easily come off when u fry them in hot oil. The above figure shows the home-made shape prefered by many ladies in my hometown. I tried doing the star murukku but at first I couldn't get the shope right. After couple of time trying

Deepavali Special: Mixed Daal Vadai Normally I like to prepare vadai with ural daal but it suck too much oil. Therefore I'm prepare vadai using three different type of daal ..It came out well and tasty . Mixed Daal Vadai Serving Size:5 Ingredients 1/4 cup chick peas 1/4 cup groundnuts 1/4 cup channal daal 4tbsp rice flour 6 dried chiiles 2 garlic cloves a small ginger 1tsp fennel seeds 5 curry leaves 1/4tsp hing powder 1/2tsp chilli powder 1 large onion finely chopped 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves 2 cup oil for deep frying Preparation Methods: In a large bowl soak chick peas, channal daal and groundnuts for 5 hours. Remove the skin from the groundnut. Blend them with garlic,ginger,hing powder,curry leaves , chillie powder, fennel seed and salt to a very smooth mixture. Then add the rice flour,chopped onions and coriander leave to blended mixture. Mix them well. Adjust the level of salt and spicy. Take on spoonful on the mixture on your palm ,shape it and

White Sauce Chicken Gravy Serving Size:4 Ingredients 1lb boneless and skinless chicken breast chopped into cubes 1tsp chillie powder 1tsp garam masala 1tsp curry masala 1/4tsp turmeric powder 2tbsp lemon juice 1/2tsp salt 2 green chillies halved 1cup chopped onions 1tsp mustard seeds 1/2tsp cumin seeds 1 each of cardamom,cinnamon stick,bay leaves and 3 clove White Sauce Gravy 1tbsp sesame seeds 1tbsp cashew nuts 2tbsp peanuts 2tbsp cocomut powder 2tbsp curd 1/4 cup milk 1tsp fennel seeds 1tsp ural daal 1/4 cup onions chopped 6 crushed garlic a small piece ginger 1tsp fennel seeds salt and pepper to taste Preparation Methods: Coat a fry pan with 2tbsp of oil and roast all the white sauce gravy til the onion become translucent. Let the mixture cool and grind it to a smooth paste. Keep aside. Marinate the chicken with the spice powder and bake it at 350°c for 20 minutes. In a frying pan add 2tbsp oil, add the mustard seeds. Once cracked add all the remaining ingredient and saute well. Th

Spicy Eggplant in White Sauce Serving Size:4 Ingredients 1 lb eggplant diced 1tsp chillie powder 1tsp garam masala 1tsp curry masala 1/4tsp turmeric powder 2tbsp lemon juice 1/2tsp salt1cup chopped onions 1tsp mustard seeds 1/2tsp cumin seeds White Sauce Gravy 1tbsp sesame seeds 1tbsp cashew nuts 2tbsp peanuts 2tbsp coconut powder 2tbsp curd 1tsp poppy seeds 1/4 cup milk 1tsp fennel seeds 1tsp ural daal 1/4 cup onions chopped 6 crushed garlic a small piece ginger 1tsp fennel seeds salt and pepper to taste Preparation Methods: Coat a fry pan with 2tbsp of oil and roast all the white sauce gravy til the onion become translucent. Let the mixture cool and grind it to a smooth paste. Keep aside. In a frying pan add 2tbsp oil, add the mustard seeds. Once cracked add all the remaining ingredient and saute well. Then pour the white sauce mixture and it saute in the oil for 10 minutes. Finally add the baked eggplant cube and let them simmer in the mixture for 10 minutes.Remove from flame and ga

Beetroot Chutney Serving Size:4 Ingredients 1 cup of shredded beetroot 3tbsp of tamarind pulp 5 dried chilles 1 onion chopped 1 garlic minced finely 2 green chillies chopped 4 curry leaves 1tsp of mustard seed 1tsp of ural daal pinch of hing powder Salt to taste Preparation Method: Coat a fry pan with 2tbsp of oil. add curry leaves,garlic, chillies dried chillies and onions.Then add the tamarind juice and cook til the beetroots are tender. Let the mixture be cooled and grind to a smooth paste. In the same frying pan pour 3tbsp of oil, once hot at mustard,curry leaves,2dried chillies and ural daal with a pinch of hing powder..fry and pour over the chutney.

Tomato Chutney Serving Size:4 Ingredients 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1/2 onion 3 clove garlic 1/2 ginger 10 curry leaves 1tsp mustard seeds, 1tsp ural daal, 6 dried chillie Preparation Methods: Coat a frying pan with 2tbsp of oil and saute tomatoes,dried chillies,onions,5curry leave,garlic and ginger til the tomatoes release it's juice.Once it's cooled grind to a smooth paste. In the same frying pan, add 2tbsp oil. Then add mustard seeds.remaining curry leaves,ural daal and dried chillie. Once they turn slightly brown remove from flame and pour over the chutney.

Here are some cooking tips which can help us to prepare our mouth-watering dishes more easily and perfectly without any mess...and how to select food items and how to store them to redeem their freshness for days Normally when chopping onions we tend to cry. To prevent from crying,chop the onions near a gas flame or refrigerate them before chopping. Add few drop of lemon juice and oil before cooking rice. The rice will tend to remain separate and rice will become more whiter and brighter. To make fluffy pooris,,just add 1/4 cup of white rava to 1 cup of wheat flour with 1tbsp of oil. Knead the dough well. If you want your pooris to be crispy, add 2tbsp of rice flour . Sometime we might add salt twice to our curries absent-mindly. Don't panic just throw in some raw potatoes or onions into the curries. They will absorb the extra salt,remove before serving. When boiling pasta or noodles-make sure to use a large pan or wok with water. This will give more space for them cook evenly. Sal

Deepavali Recipe: Spicy Mixture Spicy Mixture First: Oma Podi Serving Size:5 Ingredients 1 cup rice flour 1 cup channa dhal flour salt to taste 1/4tsp hing powder 1tsp chillie powder 1/2tsp Ommum seeds warm water Oil for deep-frying Preparation Methods: Sieve the channa dhal flour, salt and rice flour, and to the sieved flour now add the butter or ghee, jeera or ommum seeds, hing powder, add warm water and mix to form a smooth dough. Heat oil in a kadai, insert the disc with small holes into the press, fill the dough, holding it over the hot press with dough circular movements-let it look then turn and cook on the other side till golden brown, repeat with the rest of the flour. Remove and drain. Once cooled crush and keep aside Second: Different types of Fried Daals Ingredients: Ingredients 1/2 cup pottu kadalai 1/2 cup kadalai paruppu 1/2 cup nilakadalai 1/2 cup pachai parupu 1/2 cup chickpeas 1/2 cup pori 1/2 cup poha 2tbsp cashew nuts Preparation Methods: Coat a pan with 2tbsp oi