Doodh Peda/Milk Peda

This was in my draft since Krishna Janmastami & I was hoping that I atleast publish this for Deepavali. But.., again I'm late..

Anyways, better late than never. Happy Karthika Masa/Masam/Month. Diyas are lit infront of our house for this whole month & each day of the week is celebrated.

(Photo courtesy:http://www.4to40.com/egreetings/cards.asp?festivals=Diya_Traditional_Candles_of_Diwali-Diwali-127)

So, what did you guys cook at home?Did any of you buy gold/platinum/silver on the dhanteras? At my side.., nothing. No gold/silver too. We were on a short trip to Indonesia & so not much of celebrations. We were back only after Deepavali. I'm happy that I spent all the time with my kiddo & hubby, which otherwise I would have spent in the kitchen.

My version of the doodh peda is a quick & an instant one. It almost tastes like authentic one, however expert eaters can make out the difference in this version. My take is when this method is so easy, why on earth should hours be spent on the authentic way ;)

Ingredients:(Adapted from a monthly kannada magazine)

Condensed Milk: 1 tin

Full cream milk powder: 2 cups (my one cup holds 180ml water)

Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup (melted or at room temperature)

Method:

1. Gently, mix together the condensed milk & milk powder. Ensure that there are no lumps.
2. Add in the butter & mix again.
3. Pour the batter to a microwave safe bowl.
4. Heat/cook in the microwave for 3 minutes (check the temperature settings).
5. Remove the bowl, stir well & put in the microwave again for 1 minute.
6. Repeat the steps 4 & 5, for 2 more times. Ensure that the rawness of the milk powder is removed & it is cooked well.
7. Allow it to cool for another 5-10minutes. When the batter is still warm, prepare small lemon sized balls & give it a nice peda shape.
8. Cool it in the refrigirator for 1-2hours before serving.
9. Enjoy the instant doodh peda :)

Update: Hurray!!, I won a tote bag from Foodie Blogroll. I am eagerly waiting to receive it. Thanks a lot Foodie Blogroll.

Thondekayi Palya (Ivy gourd stir-fry)

Hurray!!!, we have booked our tickets to India. I am all excited & have no mood in doing anything (of course I'm dreaming & planning about my trip to India). I'm in no mood to cook too. To add to my laziness.., my hubby is on diet. He is on some #$%^@ diet for one month. So, whom should I experiment on?!! I don't want to risk on myself ;) Hence, my kitchen is closed for experiments this month.

So, today I'm giving you a tried & tested dish that I have been cooking for many years now. A very simple & delicious 'Karnataka style' palya recipe for you all to enjoy.

Here are the ingredients & the method.

Ivy gourd/Thondekayi: 250gms
Grated coconut: 3-4 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Amchur powder/Huli pudi: a big pinch
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/4th tsp
Curry leaves: a string
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp (finely chopped)

Salt: According to taste

Method:

• Wash the ivy gourd & pat dry. Chop them into thin slices or discs.


• Heat oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves & saute until mustard seeds start spluttering. Add the chopped ivy gourd & saute them well. Add 1/2 cup water & allow it to cook on a medium flame.


• Meantime, make a coarse paste of coconut, mustard seeds & chilli powder. Add a tbsp or 2 of water if required.


• When the vegetable is cooked & soft, add the salt, huli pudi(amchur powder) & the coconut masala. Cook for another 2-3minutes.


• Garnish it with coriander leaves & serve it with rice or roti.

Tips:

• The palya has to be dry & not a gravy kind of stuff.Hence, keep a watch on the amount of water added to the masala & to the vegetable.
• For faster cooking, pressure cook the vegetable before hand & then prepare the palya as mentioned above.

Southekayi Guliyappa (Cucumber rice balls)

Some of my friends have commented that I have reduced the number of posts/month. Sorry pals, I was busy with other activities. I hope to publish atleast once a week. Also, thanks for being regular to my blog.

Today's dish is....
Southekayi guliyappa (I know the title says it, he he)
This is a Udupi/Mangalorean delicacy. Adding vegetables to dosas, idli & paddu(guliyappa/gundpongalu/appe) is quite common in these regions. The abundant availability of cucumbers(yellow cucumbers popularly known as mangalore southe) would have made those creative ladies to come up with many dishes with cucumber as the main ingredient. You can see many versions of cucumber dosa, cucumber idli, cucumber rotti being prepared in their households. These Mangalore southe will be available with them 24/7 & on all 365 days a year. People preserve their home grown cucumbers until the next crop is ready :)

Southekayi guliyappa is a very simple breakfast/tiffin/snack item that doesn't need any fermentation & also no side dish to go along with. There are sweet & savory version of the cucumber guliyappa. I prefer a savory one & hence giving you the recipe of the same ;) Sweet version is also equally tasty & loved by the sweet toothed people (not my type...)

Ingredients:
Raw rice: 3 cups (preferably use sona masoori or ponni rice)
Grated cucumber: Around 1.5 cups (remove the seeds if the cucumber is ripened)
(I use normal green cucumbers as I dont get yellow cucumbers here. It tastes good with green ones too)Grated coconut: 1 tbsp (fresh or frozen, optional)
Finely chopped onion: 1/2 cup (1 medium onion)
Curry leaves: 3 tbsp (finely chopped)
Green chilli: 3 no (finely chopped)
Salt: According to taste
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp (finely chopped)



Method:

• Soak the rice in water for about 4-5hours.
• Drain the water & prepare a smooth paste out of it. Donot add much water as the grated cucumber oozes out water.
• Squeeze out the water from the grated cucumber.
• Add all the above mentioned ingredients(including grated cucumber) to the rice paste. Mix it well. Adjust the batter by adding the cucumber water. (Batter should be of dropping consistency & not pouring)
• Heat the appe/guliyappa pan. Add few drops of oil to each mould. Add 2 tbsp of the batter to each mould & cook it on a low heat for 2-3minutes. Turn the guliyappa & cook on the other side too.
• Serve it straight from the pan drizzled with some home made ghee.

Tips:

1. Rub the ends of the cucumber well. Also, it is better to taste the cucumber before adding it to the batter. Some cucumbers will be bitter. If the cucumber is bitter, then discard them & use another cucumber.
2. Ensure the batter is of normal idli batter consistency.
3. Eat these appe/guliyappa hot or atleast warm. If this guliyappa is consumed after it reaches room temperature, it becomes chewy.
4. Use tender cucumber for better results.