Bonda / Potato Bonda

I still remember the time when we as kids used to pass by Indian tea shops, the aroma of hot fresh snacks used to make us feel so hungry. Dad used to get them often for us. Pazham Pori, samosa and bonda are my favorites. Today I will share the recipe for bonda - one of the famous tea time snack in Kerala. 

INGREDIENTS

Cooked Potato - 3 medium
Onion - 2 finely chopped
Green Chilly - 2 finely chopped
Ginger - 2 inch piece finely chopped
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs finely chopped
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup finely chopped
Mustard - 1 tsp
Maida /APF - 1 cup
Rice Powder/ Puttu Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp
Oil - for deep frying
Salt - as required
Water - 3/4 cup approx

METHOD
Cook the potato in a pressure cooker. Let cool. Peel the skin and mash it. Keep aside.
In a wok or pan heat 2 tbsp oil. Tip in the mustard and let it splutter.
Add in the onion, green chilly, ginger and curry leaves one by one and saute on medium flame.
Add in the turmeric powder, salt and saute.
Add in the potato and stir well. Check salt.
Remove from flame and add in the coriander leaves.
Heat the oil for deep frying in a small wok.
Meanwhile take a  bowl ,mix the maida and rice powder.
Make a batter of it by adding water. Add a pinch of salt and turmeric.
Make small balls of the potato mixture.
When the oil is hot dip each ball in the batter and fry till they are golden brown in colour.
Remove them from oil using a slotted spoon.
Transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen roll.
Serve it with tomato ketchup and enjoy with tea or coffee.

5 Minute Nutella Mug Cake - Holiday Special Recipe for Kids

I am sure most of the kids in India are enjoying their vacation to the maximum. Today I will share a recipe that even kids (8 and above) can make on their own in a microwave. But make sure you have someone elder around to watch you if you are aged between 8 -10. So go ahead, enjoy the cake in just 5 minutes. So why not surprise your parents and friends with this easy cake.

I was so glad to see my 9 year old son make this with ease. I often make this on sunday evenings when I crave for something chocolatey.  ☺

5 Minute Nutella Mug Cake

INGREDIENTS

Self- raising flour - 4 tbsp
Sugar - 4 tbsp
Cocoa Powder - 3 tbsp
Nutella - 3 tbsp
Milk - 3 tbsp
Oil (Sunflower / Canola) - 3 tbsp
Egg - 1 small
Butter - to coat the mug

Other things you will need:
A 200 ml coffee mug
A tablespoon
A fork
A medium size bowl

METHOD
Rub butter on the inside of the cup.
Mix the dry ingredients either in a bowl or in the cup itself.
Add in the milk, oil and nutella one by one.
Beat the egg and add to the cup/ bowl.
Whisk the ingredients well with a fork.
Pour it into the mug if you have mixed in the bowl.
Microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Tips
1. Mix the ingredients till just combined.
2. Time to cook depends on the microwave. It took 2 minutes for me.

Easy Homemade Tomato Ketchup

I have childhood memories of my grandmother making yummy homemade tomato ketchup. It was so tasty that I could have it with anything or just relish it. I know everyone is used to the Kissan or Heinz Ketchup but have you ever thought about making your own ketchup at home. It is so easy and you can serve it to your family especially kids without the strong preservatives added in it. I am sure you will love it. Go ahead, make them and have it with samosas, sandwiches or like my little son did have it just like that.

INGREDIENTS
Recipe Source: Ms.Prema

Tomato - 1 kg
Garlic - 10 g
Ginger - 10 g
Kashmiri Chilly Powder - 3/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Cardomom - 3
Cinnamon - 2 '' piece
Clove - 3
Pepper (whole) - 8
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Tamarind - size of a small lime
Water - 3/4 cup
Vinegar - 2 tsp

METHOD
Clean and chop the tomatoes into 4 pieces.
Chop garlic and ginger fine.
Soak the tamarind in 3/4 cup water.
Cook the tomatoes, ginger and garlic in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles on medium flame without water.
Let cool. Grind the mixture.
Strain the tomato mixture through a sieve into a sauce pan. Press with a spoon and remove all the pulp and only the skin and seeds remain. Discard the skin and seeds.
Switch on the flame to low and start cooking the mixture in the sauce pan.
Add in the sugar, chilly powder and salt.
Pour the soaked tamarind along with the water through a sieve and pour it into the pan.
Increase the flame to medium. Keep stirring.
Meanwhile tie the spices in a thin muslin cloth and place it in the pan so that the flavour gets absorbed into the ketchup.
Allow to simmer till it becomes thick. It took 15 minutes for me.
Remove the pan from the stove.
Remove the muslin cloth with spices and discard.
Add vinegar.
Let cool well and transfer it to sterilised jars.

Tips
Use good quality fresh tomatoes. Better not to use over ripe ones as it will have more juice than pulp.
There is no need to deseed or peel the tomatoes in this recipe.
This recipe approximately 1/2 litre ketchup.

Eethapazham Pradaman / Dates Pradaman

Vishu 2013, falls tomorrow the 14th of April. Have you thought about the menu for your sadhya? How about trying out this recipe for dessert - Dates Pradaman. Hope you have not missed out on the list of Sadhya recipes. Click on this link and scroll down for more.. http://kitchentreats.blogspot.in/p/index.html

INGREDIENTS
Recipe Source - Grihalaxmi

Eethapazham/ Dates - 500 g
Jaggery - 700 g
Coconut - 2 1/2 medium sized
Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp
Coconut Pieces - 3 tbsp
Water - 3 + 1 cup+ 5 cups
Cashew - 25g
Kismis - 25 g
Cardamom - 3 nos

METHOD

Remove the seeds from the dates. Boil 3 cups water. Soak the dates in this water for 15 minutes.

Melt jaggery in a pan with 1 cup water on medium to low flame till it fully melts.

Grind the dates along with the water into fine paste. Keep aside.

Scrape the coconuts. Add 1 cup water, pulse the coconut in a mixer 5 times and remove first extract. Keep aside.

Add 2 cups water and follow the same process to extract second coconut milk.

Again add 2 cups water and extract coconut milk the third time. 

Pour the third extract coconut milk along with the ground dates into a wide mouthed kadai and start to cook.

Switch on the stove to medium flame.

Strain and add the jaggery. Mix well. Keep stirring till it becomes thick.

When the mixture is thick add the second extract coconut milk.

Stir and when thick remove from stove. Add in the first milk. Keep aside.

Add 1/2 tsp sugar to the cardamom pods and powder it in a mixer. Remove the husk and add it to the payasam.

Heat ghee in a small kadai. Fry the cashews and kismis first. Remove and then fry the coconut pieces till it slightly browns.

Add the fried cashews, kismis and coconut pieces along with the remaining ghee into the pradaman.

Tips:
Jaggery means sugarcane molasses. I used the light brown ones. This is a very sweet pradaman. Reduce the amount of jaggery by 50g if you don't like it very sweet. 
Add slightly warm water to extract coconut milk.

Wishing all my readers and well wishers a Happy Vishu!!! Enjoy!

Nannari Cherunaranga Sarbath / Nannari Lime Cooler

Feeling hot already? Summer seems to be never ending. So lets forget the heat outside and cool our body with the Nannari Sarbath. Nannari is well known to people of Kerala. It is a plant with the scientific name hemidesmus indicus. The root of this plant is used. Nannari Dravakam is prepared by the distillation of this root. We prepare this at our Ayurvedic Manufacturing Plant. It is in high demand during the summer months in Kerala. Even if you go to roadside petty shops for a lime drink they will serve you with Nannari syrup. It purifies the blood and cools your body. It also quenches your thirst. So go ahead and try it at home.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 2 glasses

Lime Juice- 3 tbsp

Nannari Dravakam - 2 tbsp 

Water - 400ml

Honey - 4 tbsp

METHOD

Squeeze out 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice into each glass.

Pour 2 tbsp each honey and  1 tbsp each Nannari dravakam.

Add cold or room temperature water and stir well. Enjoy!

The above picture is of products - Nannari Dravakam and Honey manufactured at Asoka Pharmaceuticals. You can see the nannari root (from which this dravakam is prepared) in the second picture.

Tips
This drink can be made with soda instead of water to make a fizzy drink.