Arisi Upma-Food for the Goddess!..

Varalakshmi Vratham had been celebrated last week in major parts of South India.

A day for Ladies, with the yellow sacred threads, kumkum, flowers and the Kalasam with the face of the Goddess atop, decorated with jewellery and flowers is a never to miss sight.Offerings or Neivedyam like white payasams,tamarind rice and some traditional sweets are made for the goddess Varalakshmi along with the offerings of fruits, coconuts and betel leaves and nuts.Pushparchana or flower offerings is done along with the sacred Ashtothram chants with the 108 names of the Goddess!.

The day falls on a Friday,every year according to the Tamil Calendar.Learn more about the festival here and here.
I have been celebrating the Vratham since my marriage according to my ma in law’s ways, in a simpler way; simple meal after the Ashtothram chant followed by a day’s fasting.The main meal is Arisi Upma made of Raw rice/Pachari/Pacharisi.

Serves- 2 ;Time needed 20 minutes.

You need:

Ponni Raw rice-1cup
Water-3 and a half cups;more or less.
Grated coconut-1/4 cup
Thuar dal-a tsp
Pepper corns-1/2 tsp
Green chilly-one, slit lengthwise
Refined Oil-A tbsp
Mustards and Urad dal-to temper
Hing-a pinch

Salt-to taste
A sprig of Curry leaves

Method:

1. Heat a thick-bottomed kadai and fry the rice (without oil) for a few minutes,say for about 3 minutes, till it heats up well.Do not let it change colour.Remove from fire and let it cool down.

2. Combine rice, thuar dal and the pepper corns.Dry grind in a mixie to a coarse(slightly coarser than rava).Do not make it to a fine powder.You need just to pulse for 3-5 seconds.

3. Now, heat the oil in the same kadai,(I use a thick bottomed bronze pot for better results)splutter mustard and brown the urad dal. Add the green chilly and the curry leaves.Sauté for a couple of seconds and pour the measured water immediately.Bring to a boil.Add salt.

4. Add the coarsely powdered rice and slowly mix into the boiling water.Turn the flame to medium and carefully blend in the rice so as to avoid lumps.The mixture at this point would be watery.Bring to a boil stirring in between.Now close the kadai with an appropriate lid, not allowing the steam to escape.Turn knob to 'sim'.

5. Open the lid after 3 minutes and check by scraping the bottom with the flat end of a ladle to confirm any charring or sticking to the bottom is not taking place.Add the grated coconut.Turn the mixture.

6. Cover again.Open again after 3-5 minutes.Repeat the above process.Continue doing this every 3-5 minutes till the rice grains are soft and cooked well.If the water content is more, keep the kadai closed till it gets absorbed.Note that the upma hardens when it cools down to room temperature.

7. The Upma should have reached the consistency of Pongal(semi solid)by now.

Note:I am more used to trying this recipe in a Bronze pot with a lid as the in-between turning can be avoided and the grainy rice gets cooked by the consistent heat of the heavy metal bronze, contributing a richer taste.Moreover the utensil is considered to be auspicious for a ceremony like Varalakshmi Pooja.

This is my Neivedyam to Neivedyam.:D..

One of my dear blogger friends Sobila of Iniya Tamil Virunthu had honoured me with her cuuuute logos!!!..Here they are:

No words to Thank you dear Sobila, who again lovingly put the query in my previous recipe comment box,"then how u celebrated varalakshmi viratham? i expected ur dishes for that".

I dedicate this recipe post to you, Sobila....Hugs to you!!..:)

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Aethekka Upperi / Banana Chips

Wish you all a very Happy Onam!.

"Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam
Manusharallarum onnu pole
Kallavumilla chathivumilla
Ellolamilla polivachanam!."

The Slogan for Onam, I learned as a child;commemorating the Great Asura King Mahabali/Maveli's Golden Era, his honest rule contributing to the unity of his people, the kingdom with no burglers, no liars and no cheats!!.He visits his beloved subjects, every year, who in turn welcome him with all the pomp and celebrity.

Upperi or "banana chips", a simple snack, is a must served one for the Ona Sadya.This salty crunchy yummy snack takes its seat humbly in the left corner of the plantain leaf or the Thoosan ila, but believe me, he holds one of the primary positions among the items of the Sadya!!.



Remove the green outer skin of a few raw bananas, immerse them in cold water with 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder.Dissolve a tsp of salt in 1/4 cup of water and keep aside.

[Do not discard the skin.Chop them finely to make Aethakka tholi mezhukkupuratti/Banana peel fry OR tholi thoran/ peels with coconut and whole green grams; the traditional dry dishes of Kerala.]

Heat 2 cups of coconut oil, till it 'just' smokes up, in a kadai.



Shake off the excess water and slice the banana, using a slicer into the hot oil.This needs a little expertise.The water content might make the oil fizzy for a while.If you find it uneasy, slice them and slide one by one into the hot oil,separating individually with your fingers.Turn them gently over to facilitate an 'even' frying.It is very imp to check the heat of the oil every time.It should neither be too smoky nor dull. A number of 6 bananas were done in 4 batches.The oil might require some time to heat up in between these batches as well.


When the chips turn to a golden yellow colour, sprinkle a little salt water directly into them.At this point the water content would turn the oil bubble up with a loud fizzy noise.Keep away; turn again gently until the noise and the bubbles settle down. Sieve them out of the oil using a perforated ladle, before it changes into reddish colour, as in the picture.:)..


Line a flat tray with any sort of oil absorbent paper so as to drain the excess oil if any and spread the chips to let them cool.

This goes to Hima of SnackORama for her very own event of WYF-Snacks.


Fresh chips, ready to take its place on the Sadya ila :)

P.S-The above snack is made of Raw Banana(Nenthran Kaya) and Not raw plantain(Vazhakkaya).Both belong to the same family and it is quite important to avoid confusion while selecting the ingredient.Click here to make Vazhakkai/Plantain Chips.

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JFI-Ghee Rice & the Awards!..

Ghee rice is one of the simplest yet delicate forms of variety rice with the natural flavour of the long grained basmati with the fresh aromatic burst of home-made ghee.I first tasted this “Simply irresistible”, delicacy in one of the muslim weddings during childhood and turned out to be my favourite till then.I like the rice garnished with fresh chunks of pineapple, steamed bits of carrots and sauted raisins.These ingredients are not a part of actual recipe,but I enjoy biting into the varied sweetness of the three, along with the hot aromatic rice :).

This goes to JFI(jihva for ingredients): Rice-hosted by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Serves-4;Cooking time-35 minutes.

Get ready with:

2 cups Basmati rice
2 nos Onion(medium) -sliced length wise

4 tbsp Fresh Ghee
A few Cashew nuts broken into halves

2" piece Cinnamon

2 nos Cloves

2 nos Cardamom

Salt - As needed

How to make:

1. Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.Cook the rice and drain.Spread in a flat utensil and allow to cool. Mix in salt and a little amount of ghee to separate the rice grains, gently breaking lumps if any.

2. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed, wide pan or kadai.Fry the cashews till golden brown and keep aside.

3. Fry half of the sliced onions till brown and crisp.Keep aside.Sauté the remaining onions until golden brown.

4. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and stir.Add rice gently and mix so as to get the onions and spices coated.Check salt and remove from fire.

5.Garnish with the crispy fried onions and cashews.Serve hot with dhal curry, khurma, chicken or mutton curry.

I have not tried making the other version of direct cooking method of Ghee rice.If you feel cooking and draining rice, a little eleborate, fry the rice for a few minutes in a tsp of ghee and keep aside.Carry on with the tempering part, add the rice(1 part of rice with 2 parts of water).Close it with a lid until the water is absorbed and the rice, cooked.This is the plain and simpler form of Ghee Rice.If you add veggies, the draining method would be better!.

By the way, friends, I am pleased to announce that Archana of tried & tested recipes has passed me 2 great awards!. Again, it had been a pleasant surprise for me when Roopa of my chow chow bhath honoured me with the 'Power of Schmooze Award', just in time I had published my post, passing the same to her!!.No words to thankyou girls ; from a person still confused whether she deserves them or not!!..

The 'Power of Schmooze Award' is for bloggers who “effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship".


"The Rocking Girl Blogger Award" is for bloggers ,who are girls or women, who blog and who Rock!!."

Just like Archana, I too feel the awards are passed along to promote friendship, love, care and encouragement among us!.

I accept them with pleasure and pass on both the awards to my friends who really deserve; more than me!.

Listed in alphabetic order, they are:

Kanchana

Nags

Nanditha Prabhu

Priya Bhaskaran

Prajusha

Renuka

Roopa

Sandeepa

Shivapriya

Sobila

Sra

Suganya

Suma

Zlamushka

With brimming happiness, I could see my all my dear friends Asha, Bee, Coffee, Jyothi, Jyothsna, Mallugirl, Prema, R.P, Seema, Sia, Sig, Srivalli, Sukanya and Tbc already beholding the awards.Cheers to you all!!...:)

Let this be a good encouragement to continue our active involvement in blogging!.

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Pearl spot/Karimeen Pollichathu-A Kerala Delicacy.

Location-A house in exact Kottayam, enroute Kumarakom.
Characters-Amma, Appa, Uncle, Brother, Big sis, Li'l sis.
Date and Time- 27th Jul '07-- 12.15pm.

Act-1 : Scene-1

Big Sis enters home, back from her last minute shopping, whistling an old malayalam song.Steps into the kitchen, pulled by a wonderful aroma, to find her Li'l sis a little gloomy.She seems to be little desperate with the fish getting cooked on the stove about it getting burnt outside with the inside, left a little (again)uncooked.The big sis, a lazy cook, gives some suggestions, out of her sheer experience in cooking, who is a fish lover,( with not much of experience with Non-veg cooking) falling for any kind of it, doesn't bother about the taste.Sampling some she admires her sister, a perfectionist in cooking.Together they decide to continue with their improvised tips.

Scene-2

Amma,who has helped her daughter with the marinade, enters the kitchen,after an urgent work upstairs.She too tastes a bit of it and admires her little daughter.The big sis is giving a hand to her li'l sister with the cooking part,simutaneously digging and fishing(the fish,of course)out the beauty, attempting to photograph the best one.The li'l sis stares angrily at the big sis now with her clear cut words that she is more concerned about her brother, to please him, who wanted the dish to be done and got the fish that morning, with much effort, paying through his nose.

Scene-3

The big sis with her camera focuses the fish,laid on the dining table.Big sis, who had been more used to picturing veggie dishes, learns the hard fact that fish is Not photogenic.Appa and Uncle encourage her and help her out with a few tips to improve the presentation.

Scene-4

In the kitchen, the sisters finish off with the fish.Brother,who has been away to the town enters and the family gather round the table and settle down for the Lunch, with all the fun and laughter appreciating the skills of their youngest family member.

***Curtains down.***

Verdict of the Sisters-

Pollichathu, especially when it comes to fleshy Karimeen/Pearl spots, require 20-30 minutes of slow cooking for EACH.A number of 9 fish were done that noon,on a twin stove and the whole procedure, lest the time to marinate, from start to finish took 3-4 hours.Blame the delicacy.

Here is my sister's recipe, reproduced;

What I Used:

Pearl Spot/Karimeen - 4, cleaned and slit on the side.

For the paste:

Shallots - 10
Onions - 1 big
Ginger - a 2" piece
Garlic - 10 cloves
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Vinegar - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 strands
Salt - to taste
Coconut oil - for frying
Tender banana leaves - to wrap the fish in while cooking

How I Made It:

1. Make a paste with all the ingredients mentioned.

2. Marinate the fish well in the paste.It may not completely stick tothe fish, but make sure that it is mostly covered.


3. Place the fish in the banana leaf and wrap gently.

4. Pour some oil in a wok.Gently place the wrapped fish in, close with a lid and cook on a low fire till both sides are done. This took me around 30 mins, per fish.Garnish with onion rings, tomatoes, cucumber and a piece of lime.

I found an interesting version cum video clipping of the same dish.

Click HERE to view.
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P.S-Thanks a lot for going through the long story(if you had) :)....
Wishing you all a Happy Independence day!

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A Few Tips for an Easy Indian Cooking.

A few practical tips. That was all what dear Mallugirl wanted from me next.Tips would be a Great contribution to the event!; But,as I had my own doubts like, since I am an Indian blogger I had to see how much my tips would be practical to the girls.!... being not much aware of the Western shopping stuff, the life style or the Western styles of cooking and preparatories.. how far my generalised tips would be helpful to the bloggers who are mostly Non Resident Indians..??..

Her gentle "push", had made me come up with a new post with a few of these,finally...which I am jotting down, out of my very personal experience.

1. Cry over spilt milk but Never over 'left over' rice.Transfer into a bowl, closing with a cling film and refrigerate. You are ready with the quickest form of rice: the soothing 'curd rice', next day.Lime rice,Tamarind rice,and Carrot rice are a few other updations of the same.

2. Have you ever heard of a child being fussy about Maggi 2 minute noodles?Nowadays,they come in different flavours and varieties.The only negative aspect being the added Mono sodium glutamate or the Aji-no-moto which is thought to be a little unhealthy.'Maggi meal',once in a week can be considered as a quick food for the young.Add veggies or boiled chicken pieces to make it complete.

3. **Condiments and Powders of any variety come to a timely help.

Soup powders, sambhar powder, rasam powder, garam masala, curry powder and coconut milk powders are worthy to be mentioned.Label them.These help you to whip up a bowl of quick n easy curry, any time of the day.

4. Cooked dal, grated frozen coconuts and veggies ready in the freezer are great timely helpers for making a simple dhal and veggie curry with steamed rice or Indian breads.

5. **Preserves like pickles, spiced dhal powder, chammanthi podi, kariveppilai podi go well with cooked(even left over) rice.

6. Better keep the Idli/dosa batter ready in your tupperware, refrigerated at least once a week.The soaking grinding and fermenting slots are definitely a little elaborate, but it serves you an easy, healthy light meal in a lesser time.

7. **Adai or the lentil pancakes, too require pre-soaking and grinding.Here's a method to make them in an easy way.Dry grind finely Rice:thuvar dal in the ratio 3:1.(if possible get it done in India, in a grinding mill, during one of your visits or so.Please read Ashaji's comment down here too:)).Store in an airtight container or a Zip lock bag. Add chilly powder,salt a pinch of hing with some chopped onions and cilantro.Make a loose batter adding water.You will be ready with hot crispy adais in a jiffy.This adai needs lesser time to cook than the other version.

The slightly thicker batter of the above powder can be used for coating sliced potatoes, brinjals, yellow pumpkin or any vegetable of your choice, to make bajjis, deep fried in oil, a quick savoury snack for unexpected guests.

8. **Ready made- store bought powdered forms of ragi, bajra/cumbu, nava dhanyam can be made into healthy porridges,Kazhi or Koozh with less cooking time. They can be served hot with a simple pickle, mor milagai or a quick fry.The left overs can be preserved, soaked in diluted butter milk, the resulting product : A super-summer-cooler-drink.

9. Here's an easy base for Kanji/Rice porridge or gruel.Dry roast the rice you prefer for a few minutes.Dry grind coarsely in a mixer when cool.Store in an airtight container.This cooks in a jiffy to make your favourite hot and simple bowl of comfort food.

10. Sprouts are extra nutritious.Add an extra amount of them in your salads, once or twice a week.This saves you time from cutting and chopping salad vegetables.

11. Store chicken breasts and fish fillets, if you prefer.They cook easily and can serve you an easy meal for your unexpected guests when compared to veg dishes; of course if your guests are non-vegetarians....the host too :) .

12. A loaf of bread or a pizza base comes handy,with the fruit preserves or readymade topping.Store the kind of butter for bread and cheese for pizza, preferred.Along with your favourite fruit juices, reserve whole fresh fruits too.

** Moms and Mils would willingly help you out with points numbered 3,5,7 and 8... Smartly make use of them..:D.

Above all,when it comes to working women, "planning dinner every weekend" is the most reliable method.Plan the dinner menu before hand for the coming 7 days in advance,considering the family preferences and simple nutritional facts.Plan your shopping list accordingly.See to it that you include cereals, salads, vegetables, milk and yoghurt, all over.This might seem a 'burden' to start with, but sets you going automatically the whole week.Pre-planning and shopping requires lesser time and effort than the time needed thinking about a meal and searching for the raw materials, 'to find a few missing' in the store, fridge or freezer in the 'due exact' time of cooking, leaving you frustrated..

After all, a little planning makes your life more comfortable ..:)..letting you to live to the fullest..:)..

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