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Panagam, a traditional drink from Tamil Nadu



Panagam, is a traditional and ancient drink from Tamil Nadu. It is usually prepared on the occassion of Rama Navami, which marks the birth of Lord Shri Rama (please refer the mythological legend of Ramayan). Panagam is a simple drink and besides Naivaidyam , which means offering to God, it is also prepared during summer to quench thirst and boost energy. It is prepared from Jaggery which is rich source of Iron and is proven to be instant energy booster. Do try this simple drink at home and am sure it will be loved.


Ingredients :
Jaggery - 1 cup
Water- 3 cups
Sonth (Dry Ginger / Chukku) - 1 teaspoon
Limejuice - 1 teaspoon
Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
Black Pepper - 2 pinches 
Salt - 1 pinch.

Method :
  1. Grate the jaggery and dissolve it in the said amount of water and place it on the stove over lowest flame.
  2. Slowly add the Dry Ginger powder which is called Sonth in hindi and Chukku in Tamil to it.
  3. Then add the Cardamom powder , black pepper (just a dash or pinch and not more). Then add the salt and limejuice.
  4. Stir well and remove from flame. Please donmt let it come to boil. Just heat it a bit since many cant digest the raw taste of jaggery.
  5. Allow it cool and serve. If needed store in Refrigerator for a hour and serve chilled.
  6. Panagam is ready. Its delicious drink.


Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 3 minutes
Serves : 4 persons
Shelflife: 3-4 days
Serving suggestion : serve chilled or warm.

Note :- Please dont let the drink to boil. You can also prepare this drink without heating or cooking it over flame. Dont add too much of black pepper and it can also be left as option. Add salt just a pinch.









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 Sabzi is a integral part of Indian cuisine. Be it anywhere , from Kashmiri in north to Tamil Nadu in south and from Gujrat in west to Assam in East, sabzi ( side dish) is basic need for indian irrespective poor and the rich people. I have usually come acorss womens for whom its a big task to decide the side dish rather than deciding the main course. Ofcourse, this tiny side dish provides ample of taste and nutrients required for the human body to keep going. So it needs to be decided with great care keeping in mind all the factors ranging from vegetables, the spices to be used, the nutrients and the likes and tastes of the family members.

Cooking is a menance at times for both working women and housewifes. At such times, a easy to cook nutrious food is often a great help. I would like to post today one such recipe called Aloo gobi which can be used as a side dish to both rice and rotis and is simple to cook , delicious to taste , easy to digest and good to health.

I am posting the recipe the way i cook at home and is liked by many who had tasted it. It can be altered as per personal choices. I have cooked this using maharashtrian style since it tastes great with chapathis and rotis.








 Ingredients:
 Potatoes - 4 large potatoes ( chopped in cubes)
Cauliflower - 1 small cauliflower ( cut them into medium pieces as potatoes)
Turmeric powder - 1/ 4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 tablespoon
Garam Masala Powder - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 5-6 nos
Onions - 1 tablespoon ( chopped finely ) (optional)
Salt - as per taste
Coriander leaves - 1 teaspoon (finely chopped)
Oil - 2 tablespoon.



Method:
  1. Hear oil in a pan. Then add the asafoetida, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Allow the seeds to crackle. Add the cumin seeds and saute for a minute. 
  2. Chopped onions can be added now as option though it is not that necessary. It would add little essence to the seasoning and the good flavoured thadka. Add the chopped onions ( about 1 tablespoon) and saute them till brown. 
  3. Add the chopped potatoes and cauliflower and saute for a minute. Add salt as per taste and saute them continuously for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Salt looses up the vegetables and it leaves some moisture which thereby giving some water which are the own juices of the vegetables. Cooking up the vegetables in its own juice not only gives nutrition by taste too excellent which is basically the techniques used in Maharashtrian foods. Give this method of cooking a try and i bet you would love it. A good non - stick pan can be used if you are not sure about trying this method. I prefer cooking them in Aluminum kadai though.
  5. Add some water to the vegetables enough to cover them. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the vegetable in low flame for 10 minutes. Cooking on low flames gives the vegetable to get cooked well.
  6. Open the lid ,  and check if the vegetables are cooked. If its cooked or nearly cooked then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder and saute them well till the masala is nicely absorbed . If you find some water content left then don't worry and saute the sabzi. You can also add little water if needed if you don't prefer the sabzi as dry. I prefer it with little moisture as it tastes good that way.
  7. Again cover the lid and cook further for 3-4 minutes in low flame.
  8. Remove from flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice. 


Preparation Time: 10 minutes.
Cooking Time: 20 minutes.
Serves : 4 persons.
Shelflife : Best fresh.
Serving Suggestion : Serve hot with roti, chapatis or steam rice and dal.


Note:
  •  Use fresh Cauliflower for this recipe.
  • Instead of chopping the coriander leaves with knife , use your hand to cut them and garnish it. Coriander leaves good aroma when cut using fingers.
  • You can sprinkle little water at the end to get a moisture in the sabzi.
  • This goes well with both Indian bread and also rice.

Click here to learn and know more about Maharashtrian foods and cuisines- An Introduction To Maharashtrian Cuisine.









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    Finger Chips



    Finger Chips are favourite among kids of all age, why just kids it's equally liked by adults too. Most fast foods centres have recorded high sales of French fries than any other food available at counter. But why waste money at fast food restaurants when you can easily prepare them at home with much ease. This would not only satisfy your requirement but also save your money. Today, I am going to post the recipe of french fries which can be easily prepared at home with few notes and tips on how to get it crisper and tastier.

    Basically french fries are called Indian version of potato chips though they are different.  Even french french fries and finger chips are different. French fries are more crisper than our Indian version of Potato chips. French fries are normally freezed potatoes. The potatoes are freezed for 1 or 2 days to make it stiff. In french fries and potato chips its not required. So these 3 are totally different since the way they are prepared differs too.

    Here goes the method to prepare finger chips....



    Ingredients:
    3 Large Potatoes
    Cooking Oil ( For deep frying)
    Red chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon
    Salt - to taste.
    Ice water - 2 glasses ( to dip the potatoes)
    Zip Lock Bag - 1 nos


    Method:
    1. Take the Potatoes and wash them nicely. Peel the outer brown skin and keep aside.
    2. Cut the Potatoes in long strips.
    3. Get some Ice water and place this strips in them till you complete the cutting of all the potatoes. This will prevent the potatoes from changing it colour and also keep them stiff. Since potatoes tend to change colour when kept open and also the nutrients tend to decrease if kept open for long.
    4. When you are completed with the cutting of potatoes, take the potato strips and put them in a zip lock bag and close them properly.
    5. Store this zip lock bag in the freezer for few hours. The longer you store , the more crisper the result would be. But don't store for more than 2 days .
    6. After storing them for sufficient time, remove them out. 
    7. Heat oil in a deep frying pan enough to deep fry the potato strips.
    8. Once the oil is good hot, put the strips in them one by one. ( Remember the oil should be good hot say bubbling hot, to check it just add a tiny piece in it and you can see bubbles surrounding it).
    9. Fry the potatoes well. Once they turn golden brown, remove them and place them over absorbent paper or tissue paper so that the extra oil is absorbed nicely.
    10. Now remove them from the paper and sprinkle little red chilli powder and salt when it is still hot and toss well. When they are sprinkled over hot chips, they tend to absorb the taste really well.
    11. Now the french fries or crisper finger chips are ready to eat.
    12. Serve with with tomato ketchup and enjoy your evening with loved ones. :)



    Preparation Time: 1 day (including the freezing time or else it just takes 30 mins).
    Cooking time: 20 mins.
    Serves: 4 persons.
    Shelflife: Best fresh.
    Serving Suggestion : Serve hot with tomato ketchup.


    Note:
    • For good results, cut the potatoes into thin strips.
    • Freeze the strips in zip lock bags so that it remains safe from water.
    • The more you freeze, the more crsiper chips you get.
    • But never store them for more than 2 days.
    • Sprinkle the red chilli powder and salt when its hot so that it absorbs them well.












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    Today, its going to bee two years. Today is my blogs second anniversary. It feels like as if it was just yesterday and I started my blog without much knowledge. Today am glad I completed 2 years with lots of compliments from many of my blog readers. Thanks to all my followers and blog readers for all the support and help. Its just because of you all that i get inspired to experiment and write more. I have been especially not been able to allocate much of my time to blogging the whole last year due to some alma mater and busy schedule. But I have made a way for it now. I have got my laptop and I will surely look forward to post as many post as possible in between without much gap. 

    I wasn't aware my blog would so good. When I started I had just 50 hits a day and today I am getting 500 and plus hits per day. I am glad and thankful to all my blog reader for reading and making this happen. Your comments and suggestions value a lot to me. Do let me know if you want me to prepare and post any recipe. I would be more than happy to do that for you. You all inspire me to be a better cook and better blogger. 

    Finally, I would like to thank my brother who has always been encouraging in every path of my life to do whatever I want and always supported me in shaping my passion. His critics made a good cook and his guidance helped me be a better person . Last but and not the least , thanks to my parents for giving my this life and all your blessings which has always helped me grow better. Above the all, thank you god.







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