Thenkuzhal or Mullu murukku/Chakli

Thenkuzhal or mullu murukku gets done in all the south Indian house hold for festivals like Diwali, Krishna jayanthi.Mom used to make this on festival days and i too make this at home on these festivals. My friends love this murukku and they always insist me to make this. But i did this this time because my office friends were literally after me last week asking for this murukku and they specified  that i should add butter nicely so that the murukku and chakli should be crunchy and melt in mouth. so i ended up making them at night after a hectic day in office. But its worth the hard work and iam happy as nearly 10 people ate this murukku and they are in love with this murukku asking for more....Told them give me a break guys....ha ha...Lets see how to make this murukku.

 Ingredients:-
Rice flour - 3 cups
Urad dal powder-1 cup
Jeera - 1 tsp
Ghee/Butter - 4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
asafoetida - a pinch
Method:-
1.In a bowl add rice flour,urad dal powder, jeera,salt,asafoetida.
2.Heat butter/ghee and add it to the flour mixture.
3.Add water to the flour little by little and make it into soft dough.

4. Heat oil in a pan, once heated reduce the flame to medium.
5. Fill the dough in a thenkuzhal press and squeeze the dough in oil in circles.


6. Once the murukku is fried turn it to the other side and fry.
7. take it in a plate with tissue paper so that the oil from murukku can be absorbed.
8. Repeat the process  as per step  5 to 7 with the remaining dough.


9. Reduce the flame and fry the murukku/chakli.
10.store in airthight containers.

11.Tasty murukku is ready to eat.

Note:- Sending this recipe to cook up a meal under 30 min by Srivalli Meal under 30 min

Kasi Halwa/White Pumpkin halwa

Kasi halwa/White pumpkin halwa is a popular south Indian sweet/halwa served in weddings mostly.
wondering why the same not done regularly at home.when asked mom she told me that in weddings the cook throws away the water from the scrapped white pumpkin and makes halwa,but the original version i mean the way it is done at home is to retain the water and make the halwa and it used to take long  time for the water to get absorbed... but it tastes very nice this way....hmmm.......tedious and time consuming...no wondering not a regular dish done at home......yesterday i went to market and ended up buying half a pumpkin.....and the result is the golden and lovely halwa before your eyes....Very very tasty believe me.......and easy to make too...lets see how to make it.

Ingredients:-
Pushinikka/White pumpkin - 1/2 or 1 big cup scraped

Ghee - 4 tsp
Cashews - 1 tsp
Raisins - 1 tsp
Low fat milk - 1/2 cup
Condensed Milk - 4 tsp
Saffron -- few strands(Soak it in 2 tsp of warm milk for 10 min)
Sugar - 1/2 a cup(a little bit less)
Cardamon - 2
Method:-
1.peel the outer skin of pumpkin and scrape it in a scrapper and keep it aside.

2.In a pan heat 1 1/2 tsp of ghee and fry the cashews and raisins and take it in a bowl and keep it aside.

3. In the same pan add the scrapped white pumpkin and fry a little bit till all the water is evaporated.

4. To this add milk, and let it cook nicely.

5. once cooked add sugar,cardamon powder, saffron to this and keep stirring until it becomes halwa consistency.

add the remaining 2 1/2 tsp ghee while stirring little by little. add half of the fried cashew and raisins.

6. cook until ghee separates.

7. Garnish with the remaining cashews and raisin.Nice tasty and yummy Kasi halwa/Pumpkin halwa is ready to eat...

Note:- You can throw way the water from the scraped pumpkin its up to you. As i didn't have so much water from the scraped pieces i have done as it is with the water. You can use food colour(orange) a little bit but as i wanted a natural colour i used saffron mixed with little milk hence the lovely golden yellow colour.... As i used condensed milk i have reduced the sugar other wise the consistency is for 2 cups pumpkin one cup sugar can be added, but take care once cooked the quantity reduces..so add sugar accordingly. You can use full fat milk and avoid condensed milk too...

Vegetatian Thali - 8

Ha ha you may be wondering where is the thali...for a change i have posted the pic of my dining table with the dishes....The items displayed are White rice, Drumstick arachivitta sambhar,Yenna katherikka karanadhu/stuffed brinjal curry,tomato rasam,buttermilk,papad, and banana......Individual recipes can be seen in the blog....

Yenna Katherikka karamadhu/ Stuffed brinjal curry/Guthi Vankaya kura

My Mom makes this yenna katherikka karamadhu or stuffed brinjal curry in a yummy way .......this curry tastes yummy with vengaya sambhar/onion sambhar or Murungakka/drumstick sambhar. this is a very  very tasty curry... When we make it in nonstick pan it consumes less oil than the old traditional method. So lets see how to make it.....

Ingredients:-
Brinjal/Kathirikkai- 250 gms

Urad Dal - 3tsp
Chenna Dal - 3 tsp
Red chillies - 5
Dhania/coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a big pinch
Tamarind juice - 5 tsp
Salt to taste
oil - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves-few
Dill leaves - few
Method:-
1. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan fry urad Dal,chenna dal,red chillies,Coriander seeds, asafoetida until golden brown.
2. Let it cool and grind it in a mixie with salt,asafoetida into coarse powder. keep it aside.

3. Cut the stem of brinjal and slit brinjal into 4 as shown below.

4. Fill the brinjal with the ground powder.


5. Heat 1 1/2 spoon oil in a non stick pan and place all the stuffed brinjal in that.

6. Sprinkle tamarind water to it and cover the pan with a plate and cook in low flame for 10 to 12 min.

7. In between just move the brinjals a little bit , care to be taken not to break them.

8. Stuffed Brinjal curry is ready.

9. Garnish with Coriander leaves or Dill leaves.

10. you can serve with hot rice and a tsp of ghee and this stuffed brinjal....or you can have as a side dish sambhar rice or rasam rice or mixed rices.....

Note:- you can use idli chilli powder for stuffing.