Bread halwa

Being a rich  dessert served with Briyani during weddings,   I decided to make a simpler version of it , which my daughter thoroughly enjoyed
Ingredients
4 to 5 slices of bread
250ml of milk
100 ml of ghee
Cashew nuts
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups of sugar(increase if you want it sweeter)
Vanilla essence 4 to 5 drops
Almonds finely chopped
Preparation
Soak the bread slices in milk( boiled milk ). Mash the bread in milk so that it becomes a paste.

Take a thick based pan or a non stick pan. Heat 50 ml of ghee and fry the cashews in low frame till it becomes light brown. Add the bread and milk to this and stir. Add the sugar and keep stirring.Add the vanilla essence. Add the remaining ghee. If you want it to be rich,  you can add more ghee.. I prefer less ghee. Keep stirring till the bread mixture does not stick to the pan. When we touch the halwa,  it should not stick to the fingers

Remove from the stove.  You can garnish with finely chopped Badam/Almonds and serve 

Aatu rathap poriyal

I remember my childhood days when my mother used to serve us with Idli and rathap poriyal and my father's friends family get together where this will be a must for breakfast as well as other delicacies. I feel very nostalgic and I miss my childhood days and my home town which is famous for food
Ingredients
Goat's blood
Onion 2 in no
Ginger - 2 Julians finely chopped
Garlic - 5 to 6 cloves finely chopped
Green chillies
Turmeric powder - 1 tspecial
Jeera powder - 2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Chillie powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Preparation

When we buy Goats blood it would have clotted and taken the shape of the bowl. Take it in a big strainer and using hands break it in to fine pieces.  Wash thoroughly. I prefer at least 4 to 5 times.  Heat oil in a kadai, add finely chopped  onion , chillies and curry leaves. Nicely saute and add the chopped ginger and garlic and saute. Once the onion gets cooked, add the finely broken Goats blood, turmeric powder, chillie powder and Jeera powder. Mix everything and add salt to taste. Cook it covered with frequent stirring . I prefer to cook for at least 15 minutes. Add the pepper powder, mix nicely and turn off the stove. Serve with rice or idly.

Rava Kesari

I prefer to make it using less ghee, sugar and colour
Ingredients
Sooji or Rava- 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup ( you may add more or less depending on your taste preference)
Ghee- 2 to 3 tbs
Cashew -10
Pachai  karpooram( Cooking one)- pinch
Food colour - few pinches
Elaichi /Cardamom- 3 pods
Preparation
Heat one tbs Ghee and roast the cashews in low flame till  it becomes light brown. Then roast the Rava till it starts to change colour.  You have to do this in low flame with continous stirring.

Boil 2 cups of water with food colour and crushed Elaichi, patchai Karpooram. ( this is the one used for cooking and avaliable in Grocery stores. If you don't like this smell then use Vanilla essence.  Once the water starts boiling add the rava/ sooji  taking care that no lumps are formed. Cook in low flame with continous stirring. As it thickens add sugar and stir continously. Add another tbs of Ghee and stir it seperates nicely from the Kadai.  The total cooking time will be only 10 to 15 minutes and it can be easily tried by beginners.

Chilli chicken dry - south Indian style

This is a very quick, easy, less oily recipe which I keep experimenting with.

Ingredients
Half a kg of  boneless chicken
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Curd - 1 tbs
Chillipowder - 1 tsp
Cumin seed powder-1 tsp
Turmeric powder - pinch
Oil - 1 tbs
Salt to taste
Pepper powder - 1/2tsp
Onion -2 chopped long and slender
Capsicum - 1 chopped long and slender
Green chillies - 2 to 3


Preparation
Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, cumin powder,Turmeric powder, curd and salt for half an hour to 45 minutes. Heat oil in a non stick kadai and add the marinated chicken. Cook in low to medium flame for 15 to 20 minutes with frequent tossing.  See that the chicken is cooked but still soft and juicy .. take it from the stove

Heat one tsp of oil in a pan, add the onion, Capsicum and chillies and toss till semi cooked .. add the cooked chicken and toss for 5 minutes.. sprinkle pepaper powder ..toss and remove from the stove..A starter for grand party. .

Crab curry/ gravy

My all time favourite. I learnt the recipe from my mother in law but till now I am not able to match up to her taste
Ingredients
Crab- 1/2 kg
Onion -2
Tomatoes -2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 test
Curry leaves
Green chillies -3 to 4
Coconut 5 to 6 thin strips
Chillie powder - 1to 11/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cummin powder -1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Gingelly  oil - 1 tbs
Salt to taste
Preparation
Clean the Crab by removing the shell. I got it cleaned in the fish stall itself.  Will demonstrate  the cleaning process in another post.. wash the cleaned crabs. Be careful so that the flesh does not get washed off..

Heat oil in a Kadai. Add the finely chopped onions and saute till golden brown..then add the ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell goes..add the tomatoes and cook till soft.. add the chillies and curry leaves.grind the coconut with Coriander powder, cumin powder , turmeric powder and Chillie powder.. add it to the onion and tomato mixture .. allow it boil for 5 to 10 minutes .. then add the Crab, add salt to taste. Cook covered. . Some water will come from Crab also.. see that there is adequate water so that it does not become too dry or too watery. Cook in medium flame for 10 minutes and low flame for 5 minutes. Before removing  from the stove, check whether the raw masala smell is gone. Sprinkle finely chopped  Coriander leaves. Serve with rice/ Idli or Chappathi .