Pillayarpatti Modhakam | Karaikudi Mothagam| Vinayaka Chathurthi Recipes

Pillayarpatti Modhakam | Mothagam is a steamed sweet rice dumpling prepared as Prasadam in Vinayakar temples, especially in Pillayarpatti. Pillayarpatti is famous for the rock cut temple and Karpaga Vinayakar is the main deity there. 

In Karaikudi, we call these sweetened  balls as modhakam but most of the people refer Poorana Kolukattai aka Stuffed sweet dumplings as modhakam. Whatever it may be, Pillayar likes all varieties of kolukattais; so we can prepare both plain & stuffed kolukattais for forth coming Vinayaka Chathurthi festival.

I’ve already posted the recipe for Thengai Poorana Kozhukattai, Spicy Pidi Kolukattai & Karupatti pidi kozhukattai & White Channa Sundal as Ganesh Chathurthi Special recipes.You can check out the recipes Here.

Here we go for the Pillayarpatti Modhakam recipe!

Recipe for Pillayarpatti Modhakam | Karaikudi Mothagam| Vinayaka Chathurthi Recipes:

                          Cuisine : Indian| South Indian

Category: Prasadham|Snack

Preparation time : 1 Hour

Cooking time : 25 Minutes

Serves  – 4

Ingredients:

Raw rice – 1 cup

Moong dhal – ¼ cup

Jaggery (crushed) – ¾  cup

Coconut gratings – ¼ cup

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Water – 2 ½ + ½  cups

Method:

1. Wash raw rice in water and spread on a cotton cloth till the moisture in the rice leaves out completely.
2. Grind the raw rice into coarse rava & keep aside.
3. Dry fry moong dhal in simmer till you get nice aroma & allow to cool.
4. Grind moong dhal also into coarse rava & keep aside.
5. Melt the powdered jaggery in ½  cup of water and strain the impurities, if any.
6. Add 2 ½   cups of water in a heavy bottomed kadai & bring it to boil.
7. Bring the flame to simmer and add both  rava by stirring continuously without forming any lumps.
8. Close the lid and cook for 10 minutes by stirring now & then.
9. When the rava is done, add the melted jaggery and mix everything well.
10. When the dough rolls into thick mass, add ghee, coconut gratings & cardamom powder. Mix everything well.
11. Switch off & allow to cool.
12. Grease your hands with ghee, make lemon sized balls and steam for 10 minutes.

Tasty Modhakam is ready for offering to Lord Ganesh!

Note:

• Rice should be ground to rava consistency.
• Water quantity may vary depending on the quality of rice.
• Store bought rice rava can also be used.
• Don’t steam modhakam for more time as it will harden the balls.

Tags: Modhakam recipe, Pilayarpatti Modhak recipe, Vinayaka chathurthi recipes, Ganesh Chathurthi recipes, Easy kozhukattai recipes, Pillayarpatti Prasadham recipes, Sweet kolukattai recipe, How to make modhakam with rice rava?, How to make Pillayarpatti mothakam?, Easy modhakam recipe

Read more ...

Pirandai Thogaiyal | Pirandai Chutney| Healthy Chutney Recipes

Pirandai Thogaiyal | Pirandai Chutney is a healthy chutney made with pirandai. Pirandai is a creeper which has amazing health benefits. Pirandai in Tamil is known as Adamant Creeper, Veldt Grape, Devil’s Backbone in English.  This herb is excellent in treating digestion problems. That is why,  tradition is being followed in South Indian Brahmin families to include this thogayal as a “Must-to-do” recipe during some specific occasions on which they make an elaborate menu. It is rich in calcium and hence it is good for treating bone related problems.

Now-a-days, pirandai is available in local markets. You can choose tender pirandai and try out this recipe.

Recipe for Pirandai Thogaiyal | Pirandai Chutney| Healthy Chutney Recipes:

                          Cuisine : Indian| South Indian

Category: Chutney| Dip

Preparation time : 10 Minutes

Cooking time : 10 Minutes

Serves  – 4

Ingredients:

• Pirandai (chopped) – ½ cup
• Mustard – 1 tsp
• Urad dhal – 1 tbsp
• Bengal gram dhal – 1 tbsp
• Red chillies – 5 Nos.
• Asafoetida – ½ tsp
• Tamarind – small gooseberry size
• Coconut gratings – 2 tbsp
• Gingelly oil – 2 tbsp
• Salt to tsate.

Method:

1. Wash pirandai very well in running water, break near the joints, peel the hard outer veins and chop into small pieces. Keep aside.
2. In a kadai, add  1tsp oil and when it is hot, add mustard. Then add urad dhal & Bengal gram dhal and saute till dhals turn golden brown. Add red chillies & asafoetida and  saute until they become crisp. Transfer it to a plate.
3. In the same kadai, add the balance oil. To this add the pirandai pieces and sauté in simmer for 3-5 minutes till pirandai pieces got shrunk in size. Switch off.
4. Transfer all to a mixie jar. To this add tamarind, coconut gratings & salt and grind coarsely by adding little water.

Healthy, tasty Pirandai chutney is ready. You can have it with idli/dosa or curd rice. You can even mix with hot steaming rice.

Note:

• While cleaning pirandai, apply oil on both of your hands to avoid itching. Else you can use hand gloves.
• Don’t avoid adding tamarind in this recipe as it helps in suppressing the itchiness of pirandai.
• Always choose tender pirandai.
• If you like, you can season the chutney with mustard.

Tags: Pirandai chutney recipe,  Pirandai thuvaiyal, Thogayal recipes, Chutney recipes, South Indian chutney recipe using pirandai, pirandai recipes, Healthy chutney recipes, Herbal recipes, side dish for idli/dosa, side dish for rice

Read more ...

Sweet Aval Puttu| Sweetened Poha

Sweet Aval Puttu| Sweetened Poha is a healthy, tasty sweet dish made using rice flakes as main ingredient. It is usually prepared as Neivedyam during Hindu festivals like Krishna Jayanthi, Navaratri, Aadi Velli, etc. The recipe is a simple one with minimum ingredients and even a newbie can make this as it doesn’t warrant much effort. 

I’m posting this recipe today as “Sri Krishna Jayanthi|Janmashtami” is going to be celebrated on 5^th Sep, 2015. This festival is observed in remembrance of Lord Krishna’s birth. Krishna is fond of aval, butter and other snack items like murukku, seedai, etc. So it is mandatory to prepare the favourites for a birthday baby on this occasion.  I think we, Indian women love to celebrate this festival as we all see mischievous Lord Kanna in our children. Those who don’t have time to make all the traditional sweets|snacks can easily go for this recipe as it needs minimum time for preparation.

“Happy Gokulashtami to one & all”

Recipe for Sweet Aval Puttu| Sweetened Poha| Krishna Jayanthi Recipes:

Cuisine : Indian| South Indian

Category: Sweet|Prasad

Preparation time : 10 Minutes

Cooking time : 10 Minutes

Serves  – 4

Ingredients:

• Thick aval (poha) – 1 cup
• Milk – ½ cup
• Jaggery (powdered) – ¾ cup
• Coconut gratings – ½ cup
• Cardamom Powder – 1 tsp
• Ghee – 1 tsp
• Cashews – few

Method:

1. Dry fry aval in a heavy bottomed kadai and powder coarsely in a mixie.
2. Transfer the powdered aval to a bowl, add milk and mix well. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. In the mean time, melt jaggery with ¼ cup of water and strain the impurities.
4. Heat the strained jaggery syrup so that it forms “Honey” consistency.
5. Add coconut gratings to the jaggery syrup and mix well.
6. After a minute, add the soaked poha & cardamom powder and mix everything well.
7. Switch off , when the mixture forms a puttu consistency.
8. Garnish puttu with ghee fried cashewnuts.

Krishna’s favourite aval puttu is ready for Neivedyam. 

Note:

• The given measure of milk works out for thick poha. If you are using thin variety, just sprinkle little milk over the poha powder.
• You can increase the quantity of jaggery to 1 cup

Tags: Sri Krishna Jayanthi Recipes, Janmashtami Recipes, Festival Recipes, Poha Recipes, How to prepare puttu with aval?, Sweetened aval puttu recipe, How to prepare puttu with thick  aval?, How to prepare puttu with thin poha?, Easy pooja recipes

Read more ...

Cauliflower Egg Burji| Cauliflower Egg Stir Fry| Cauliflower Muttai Poriyal

Cauliflower Egg Burji| Cauliflower Egg Stir Fry| Cauliflower Muttai Poriyal is a tasty side dish suitable for rice as well as rotis. Cauliflower & egg is a super combo and both taste delicious in this recipe. This tastes good with sambar, rasam and curd.

Here we go for the recipe...

Recipe for Cauliflower Egg Burji| Cauliflower Egg Stir Fry| Cauliflower Muttai Poriyal:

Cuisine : Indian| South Indian

Category: Side Dish

Preparation time : 10 Minutes

Cooking time : 15 Minutes

Serves  – 2-3

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower Florets – 1 cup
• Egg – 2 Nos
• Ginger (finely chopped) – 1 tsp
• Onion (finely chopped) – 1 No.
• Green chilli (finely chopped) – 1 No.
• Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
• Pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Coriander| cilantro (finely chopped) – 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste

For seasoning:

• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Cut cauliflower into florets and soak in hot, salted water for 10 minutes.
2. Wash the florets  in running water. Drain them from water & keep aside.
3. In a kadai, heat oil and season with curry leaves.
4. Add finely chopped ginger, onion & green chilli, one by one and sauté till onion becomes translucent.
5. Add turmeric powder & mix everything. To this add the cauliflower florets & ½ of the salt required for the recipe and  mix very well. Sprinkle little water and cook the cauliflower covered for about 5 minutes.
6. In the mean time, beat eggs with  salt required for egg alone and keep aside.
7. When the cauliflower is ¾ th cooked, slide the cauliflower to the edge of the kadai and add the beaten egg in the centre. Allow to cook egg without disturbing for a while.
8. When the egg is cooked,  just scramble the egg into pieces and mix with cauliflower.
9. Add pepper powder, mix everything well and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
10. Finally add coriander leaves and switch off.

Tasty cauliflower muttai poriyal is ready to enjoy with hot steamed rice!!

Note:

• Don’t overcook  cauliflower.
• Carefully add salt as we are adding it in different stages.

Tags: Cauliflower egg bhurjee recipe, Cauliflower stir fry with egg, scrambled cauliflower & egg recipes, cauliflower recipes, egg recipes, cauliflower muttai poriyal, gobi anda fry recipe, side dish recipes, Side dish for rice, Side dish with cauliflower, Side dish with egg, Side dish for roti, cauliflower stuffing for bread

Read more ...