Teela Undo (Sesame Ladoo)

Teela Undo is a popular South Indian sweet. In konkani, Teelu means sesame seeds. This ladoo is especially prepared and distributed during the festival of Sankranthi. 

This ladoo is very simple and 'easy to make'. It requires less amount of ghee and the jaggery added, really makes it very tasty. I added small amount of peanut as well (sesame seeds and peanuts go very well with each other).

Ingredients:

• White Sesame Seeds- 1 1/4 cup
• Peanuts- 2 Tbsp (optional)
• Dark Jaggery (Antu Bella)- 3/4 cup
• Ghee- 1 tsp+ extra for greasing
• Cardamom pods- 4-5

Procedure:

Measure all the ingredients required to make ladoo.

Now dry roast the sesame seeds until a nice flavor is got (don't brown the seeds). Then transfer it to a bowl, for cooling.

Then dry roast the peanuts, until they turn light brown. Transfer it to a bowl and allow it to cool. 

Then remove the peel and crush it coarsely (I used a mortar and pestle).

Next step is to melt the jaggery. The jaggery I used looked like this (This jaggery is very soft and is specially used to make ladoos, burfi, chikkis. This jaggery gives good binding and has a distinct taste).

Now start heating the jaggery in the same pan, on a medium flame along with 4-5 Tbsp of water.

After few minutes, the jaggery begins to melt and starts to boil.

Continue heating till the end point. To know the end point, add 1-2 drops of melted jaggery in a small bowl containing water. The jaggery should form a firm drop and it should turn little hard.
Once this consistency is reached, add the roasted crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, cardamom powder, ghee and mix quickly.

Allow the mixture to cool (until you can handle the heat). Remember that the mixture hardens as it cools. So it has to be formed into ladoos (small sized balls) as soon as possible. If the mixture sticks to your hand as you start making the balls, wait for few more minutes and try again. It sticks when it is hot.

Once it is ready to handle, take a small amount of the ladoo mixture in your greased hands and make a ladoo. Repeat the same for the rest of the mixture. I made a total of 21 small sized ladoos.
Teela Undo is ready!!

Store them in an air tight container. It stays good for more than a week.

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Vegetable Pulao (Pulav)- Using Ground Masala

Vegetable Pulao is one of the popular rice dishes of India. There are so many variations available in the internet. Initially I used to make using the recipe got from my mother. But that was not the way I liked it to be. I used to make few variations and try making it once in a while but never succeeded. 

I tried making 2-3 recipes from Raks Kitchen and just loved it. Recently my SIL made veg pulao and trust me, it turned out so delicious that I had to go for a second serving even though I was full. I noted down the recipe from her so that I can share here. Do try this version and I am sure you all will like it too. The best thing is- you won't bite into the whole spices, as they are ground with other ingredients to form a masala :-)

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice- 1 cup
• Onion, medium sized- 1
• Carrot, Beans, Peas- As required*
• Bay leaf- 1
• Oil- 2-3 tsp
• Ghee- 2-3 tsp
• Cashew nut- 5-6 (optional) 
• Salt- To taste

For the Masala:

• Cilantro/ Coriander leaves- 1/4th of a big bunch (along with the stem)
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 4 Tbsp
• Ginger- 1/2 inch piece
• Garlic pods, big sized- 2-3
• Onion, chopped- 1/3 cup
• Coriander seeds- 1 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Green chilli- 2-3
• Cloves- 2-3
• Cinnamon- 2 inch piece
• Cardamom- 2-3
• Turmeric Powder- 1/8 tsp

*Add one big carrot, beans- 9-11 (I used frozen), Peas- 1/3- 1/2 cup (I used Frozen). You can also add cauliflower florets, cubed potatoes, soya chunks etc.

Procedure:

Wash and soak rice in enough water for half an hour. Then start to prepare the masala.

For making masala- Give a rough to cilantro and put everything mentioned under "For the Masala" in a mixer and grind it, to get a smooth paste.

 Add few tablespoons of water, while grinding. The paste should not be too watery. Now the masala is ready.

Now start chopping the veggies. I cubed the carrot. Cut the beans into 2-2.5cm in length and thaw the peas. Then slice the onion.

Now heat oil and ghee in a pressure pan (or a nonstick pan). Then add the cashews and bay leaf. Fry for half a minute and then add sliced onions. Let these fry until the onion starts to turn brown.

Then add in the chopped veggies- carrot, beans and peas. Mix well and allow it to fry for 1-2 minutes.

Then add the ground masala. Mix well and fry for 2 minutes.

Finally add the drained rice (which was soaking for half an hour) and mix well. 

After 2 minutes add 1 1/2 cups of water and salt. Give a good mix and close the lid and hear 2-3 whistles. Allow the pressure to go down by itself (if you are not using a cooker, then close the pot with its lid and lower the heat to lowest possible and allow it to cook for 15-20 minutes).
Once done, fluff the rice gently, with a fork. Vegetable Pulao is ready!!

Serve it hot with raita. Above measurement serves two people.

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Beetroot Upkari (Beetroot Stir Fry)

Beetroot Upkari is a simple and healthy stir fry. I got this recipe from my SIL. I got hooked to this simple stir fry after staying with her for a month. 

Beetroot is not my favorite veggie but I always appreciated its beauty, color and bought it once in a while to make cutlet and saaru. I even tried making stir fry but never liked it much. But this version of stir fry really tasted awesome and hence thought of sharing with all of you. Do try making this simple, healthy stir fry and get the goodness of beetroot :-)

Ingredients:

• Beetroot, big sized- 1
• Onion, small sized- 1
• Oil- 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Green chilli- 2-3
• Curry leaves- Few
• Urad dal/ Split Black gram- 1 tsp
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Wash and peel the beetroot. Then chop it into small cubes. In the same way, chop the onions. 

Now heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. Once it starts popping, add the chopped onions, green chilli, curry leaves and urad dal. Fry for 1-2 minutes. 

By this time, the onions slowly starts to turn brown. Now add in the chopped beetroot and mix well. Then finally add salt and water. 

Close it with a lid and allow it to cook for 12-15 minutes on a medium flame.

Beetroot Upkari is ready!!

Serve it hot as a side dish to rice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Sakre Khichidi (Semolina- Split Chickpeas Pudding)- Makara Sankranthi Special!!

Sakre Khichidi is a popular konkani dessert. It is very simple and 'easy to make' dessert. The chanadal and semolina makes a wonderful combination. I got this recipe from a cook book written by Jaya Shenoy. Try making this humble dessert and I am sure you will love it:-) You can find my other versions of khichidi here.
I wish all my readers A Happy Makara Sankranthi.

Ingredients:

• Chanadal/ Split Chickpeas- 1/4 cup
• Semolina (Sooji)*- 1/2 cup
• Sugar- 3/4 cup (adjust accordingly)
• Ghee (Clarified butter)- 3-5 Tbsp
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/4 cup
• Raisins- 1 tsp
• Cardamom Pods- 3-4

*The original recipe called for coarse variety of semolina. I just used the fine variety.

Procedure:

Fry the chanadal until you get a nice flavor (for 3-4 minutes on a medium flame).

Then add 1 cup of water and allow it to cook till it gets cooked (don't overcook it. It should be soft and still hold its shape).

While the chanadal is getting cooked, fry the semolina in another pan with one portion of the ghee. A nice flavor is got after 3-5 minutes (take care not to burn or brown it). Then turn off the heat.

Once the chanadal looks cooked, add one more cup of water and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling, add the roasted semolina and mix it well. Wait till all the water is absorbed.

Once there is no moisture left, add raisins and sugar. Mix well.

Once the sugar comes together, add the grated coconut. Mix well. Add the remaining portion of ghee and turn off the heat. Finally add the cardamom powder and mix well. 

Sakre Khichidi is ready!!

Serve it hot or cold with a drizzle of ghee over top. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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Beans Talasani (Beans Stir Fry)

Beans Talasani is a simple stir fry. I always make Beans Upkari but never tried making this. It is very easy and requires only few ingredients. The garlic seasoning really makes the stir fry very tasty. A perfect recipe for beginners as well as for garlic lovers:-)

Ingredients:

• Fresh Beans- 1 lb (1/2 kg)
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Garlic pods, big sized- 5-6
• Dry red chili*- 2
• Salt- To taste

*I used chilli flakes instead of whole red chilli.

Procedure:

Wash and chop the ends of the beans. Then cut it into 1.5 -2 cm long.

Then crush the garlic pods slightly with the peel. Now heat the oil in a kadai on a medium flame and then add crushed garlic.

Once it starts turning pale brown, add the broken red chillies and fry for few seconds. Then add the chopped beans. Add salt and mix well. 

Then add little water and close it with a lid and allow it to cook for 10- 15 minutes on a medium flame.

Add more water, if required. Once cooked, turn off the heat. Beans Talasani is ready!!

Serve it as a side dish to rice or rotis. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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Mosaranna (Curd Rice)

Mosaranna is a very popular South- Indian dish. I got this recipe from my mother. In kannada, Mosaru means yogurt and anna means rice. 

Mosaranna is a very mild dish and hence generally served with pickle. In Bangalore, Mosaranna is commonly served with Bisi bele bath and boondi. Try making this simple rice. It is a perfect recipe for a beginner. It is very hard to go wrong. The cashew nuts in it gives a good crunch and the pomegranate seeds gives it a wonderful taste.

Ingredients:

• Rice- 2/3 cup
• Yogurt- 2/3 cup + 2 Tbsp (Sour less)
• Pomegranate seeds- Handful
• Cilantro/ Coriander leaves- 2-3 sprigs
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Cashew nut- 5-6
• Urad dal/ Split black gram- 1 tsp
• Chana dal- 1 tsp (optional)
• Curry leaves- Few
• Green Chilli- 1-2
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Wash and cook the rice (I cooked in a microwave oven).

While the rice is getting cooked, separate the seeds of pomegranate.

Now add yogurt to the cooked rice (allow the rice to cool completely) and mix well. I added few tablespoons of water as the curd was very thick. Then add salt accordingly.

Now prepare the seasoning. First heat the oil. Then add mustard seeds. Once it starts popping, add the cashews, chana dal and urad dal. Once it starts to turn slight brown, add the chopped green chilli and curry leaves. Fry for a minute and turn off the heat.

Add the above seasoning to the rice mixed with yogurt.

Mix well. Then add the chopped cilantro and pomegranate seeds.

Give a good mix.

Mosaranna is ready!!

Serve it with lemon pickle. Above measurement serves 1-2 people.

Note: # You can substitute pomegranate seeds by fresh grapes.
# You can completely omit the fruit, if you wish. Instead you can use peanuts to give an extra crunch.

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