Upma Kozhukattai or Pidi Kozhukattai

Ingredients:
1 cup idli rava or cream of rice lightly roasted
1/4 cup toor dal
1 tablespoon channa dal
1 tablespoon urad dal
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal
a pinch of asafoetida
2 small chopped green chilis or to taste
a few curry leaves
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 cups water

Preparation:  Rinse and soak toor dal, channa dal and urad dal for 1 to 1 1/2 hours before grinding.  After 1 hour grind the dals with very little water to a coarse paste.

Heat 2 tablespoon of oil.  To it add mustard seeds and urad dal.  When the mustard seeds pop add the chopped green chili, curry leaves, asafoetida and saute for few seconds add water cover and let the water come to a boil.  When the water has come to a boil add the grated coconut and the ground dal and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes after which add the lightly roasted idli rava or cream of rice.  Stir and cook until the mixture pulls away from the side of the pan and forms a mass in the center.  Cover and allow the mass to cool.  After it is cool make small oval shaped dumplings as shown in the video (if needed lightly grease your palms with a little oil)  and steam the kozukattai for a total of 4 minutes in a microwaveable steamer, in between the cooking turn the kozukattai over once to cook on the other side.  Do not over cook or it will become hard.

If you like you can cook it in a regular steamer.

Serve with sambar or chutney.  Makes 12 to 16 kozukattai.  Serves 4.  Serve as a snack or for breakfast. 

Bean Sprouts and Kidney Beans

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts roughly cut into half
1 can (15 oz) organic Kidney beans rinsed and drained (1 1/2 cups cooked  kidney beans)
3 tablespoon oil
2 green chilies or to taste
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Preparation:  To a pan on medium heat, add the green chilies and ginger and saute it for 30 seconds, add the turmeric powder and coriander powder and saute it for 10 seconds.  Add the chopped tomato, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked.  To the cooked tomatoes add curry powder saute, add the sprouted beans, mix, add the kidney beans, salt, mix cover and cook for 5 minutes add lemon juice.  Turn the heat off and serve.  Serves 2.

Kidney beans are called rajma in Hindi.  Serve this dish as a side dish with chapati or any grain. 

Rasgulla

1/2 gallon whole milk or 1.89 liters
2 cups yogurt
A few cardamom seeds
2 1/2 cups sugar or 500 grams add more if you like it sweeter

2 cups milk for rasmalai syrup
2 cups water for rasgulla syrup
Saffron or rose water flavoring for syrup
4 cups water for cooking the rasgullas
makes 16 to 20

For sugar syrup: boil 2 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar.  After the water comes to a boil let it continue boiling for a couple of minutes and turn the heat off, add the saffron flavoring and set it aside.

For rasmalai syrup: boil 2 cups of milk with 1 cup of sugar, when the milk comes to a boil reduce the heat and let it continue boiling for 2 minutes at very low temperature turn the heat off, add saffron flavoring and set it aside.

To make paneer: In a pan heat the milk to boiling point, slowly add enough yogurt to curdle the milk.  Strain the curdled milk though a cheese cloth.
Squeeze the paneer till all the water is taken out.

Put the paneer in a food processor bowl and let it run for 5 minutes.  Remove from food processor bowl and knead by hand for an additional five minutes.

Making the gollas: After kneading divide the dough into 16 to 20 rounds or gollas.  Insert a couple of cardamon seed inside each round seal and it.  Do the same with rest of the rounds.

Heat a pan with 4 cups of water.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar to it.  Let it come to a boil.  When it starts boiling add the gollas and let it cook for 15 minutes to 20 minutes.  In between turn it over once.  When the  gollas are cooked drop them into the sugar or milk syrup.

For making large quantities of change the water it is boiling in, after every 2 batches.

I like to use yogurt to curdle the milk to make rasgullas.  Lemon juice can also be used.  With yogurt you don't have a lemony after taste to the rasgullas.

Soft, sweet and spongy this is a very popular Bengali dessert.  In Bengal it is made to celebrate auspicious occasions. 

See also Gulab Jamun recipe

Author:  Mallika Viswanathan
Category:  Vegetarian Recipe


http://www.easycooking321.com/  all rights reserved

Stir Fry Asian Noodle

1 (6oz) packet Japanese style wheat pasta
4 cups water to cook the pasta
7 oz strips of extra firm tofu (can substitute with paneer)
2 medium size sliced carrots (1 cup)
2 small sliced stalk of broccoli (3/4 cup)
1 small sliced red bell pepper (1 cup)
1 small sliced zucchini (1 3/4 cup)
2 chopped baby bok choy (4 cups)

3 tablespoon sesame oil
1 bunch green onions
2 small green chilis or to taste
2 tablespoon of chopped ginger


1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoon lemon juice



Follow the instruction on the packet to cook the pasta.
Here it is cooked in 4 cups of water for 5 minutes.  When the noodles floats up to the top it is done.

Cut the tofu into strips and fry them on both sides to a golden brown color.
When it is cool cut them into bite size strips, add some salt to taste and red chili powder mix it in.

To a pan on medium heat add some sesame oil and the chopped green onions, green chili and ginger and saute it until it starts to turn light brown,
add the chopped carrots, broccoli stalks, bell pepper, zucchini, bok choy, add curry powder, chili powder, salt to taste cover and cook for about 5 minutes, while it is cooking stir it now and then.  The vegetables need to be cooked so that it is still a little crunchy.  Add the cooked noodles or pasta to the vegetables and mix add the soy sauce, mix add the prepared tofu slices mix, turn the heat off add the lemon juice mix and serve, Serve hot.

Serves 4.