DEVAKOTTAI SAMAYAL ARAI

This is a tasty snack made from whole wheat flour. It is healthy, because I have only baked instead of deep frying . I have not used butter in this recipe. You will need : Whole Wheat Flour (WWF)- 1 cup Milk - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Carom Seeds (Omam) - 1 tsp Salt - as per taste for a cup of WWF Turmeric - 1/4 tsp Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well. Now add the 1/2 cup of milk and make a dough. If needed add the 2 tbsp of milk. Now apply oil all over and set aside for 1/2 hour. Make equal large balls out of the dough and roll each one into a flat chapathi. Use any shape of cookie cutter and cut .    Arrange these in a row in the foil - lined baking tray. Bake for 7 minutes on one side and then turn them over and bake for another 3 minutes.   Hmm......... Yummy for kids and perfect with Tea for adults .

On this auspicious day of Tamil New Year , Sweet Mango Pachadi  must be prepared. It is a sweet and sour dish. You will need Mango - 1 Jaggery - 1/4 cup Onion - 2 tbsp chopped Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Dry Red Chilli - 1 no. Curry Leaves - few Asafoetida/Hing - a pinch 1. Peel the mango, and cut into pieces, leaving out the seed and cook it in water on stovetop     until it is just cooked and not mashed. 2. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, put mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing, let them crackle. 3. Add the chopped onions and a dash of salt and sautee them. 4. Now, add the cooked mango pieces along with the water. 5. Now, add the grated jaggery and let it come to a boil, switch off the stove. Mango Pachadi is ready !

On the Tamil New Year's Day, we have to cook dishes with all the 6 different tastes, i.e. அறுசுவை உணவு . Neem Flowers- dried - 1 tsp crushed Tomato - 1 medium Garlic - 2 pods crushed Tamarind - 1 lime size , soaked in water and pulp taken Salt as per taste Cumin  Pepper Powder - 1tsp Water - 1 1/2 cups to temper - Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp Pepper Corns - 5 Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp Dry Red Chilli - 2, broken into pieces Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp Curry Leaves - few 1. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add all the ingredients for tempering and let them crackle. 2. Then add the garlic , tomato and turmeric powder and sautee well. 3. Now add the tamarind pulp and 1 1/2 cups of water. 4. Once it starts to form bubbles around the pot, add the salt, cumin pepper powder and also sprinkle     the crushed neem flowers and switch off the stove . Note : If you are using fresh Neem Flowers, you can saute it in ghee and add to the recipe. Veppam Poo rasam is read...

எல்லோருக்கும் எங்கள் தமிழ் "மன்மத" புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் !  My grandma says Black eyed beans brings good luck ! But we need not restrict cooking this only on auspicious days. We can make it as a side dish. It is not only lucky... but also... it is high in dietary fibre, potassium, magnesium, Vitmain A...  I will be updating some health benefits of Karamani (black eyed pea) in my other blog. I will post the link here for your convinience. Black Eyed Beans Curry Black eyed beans - 1 cup (soak this in water for 1 to 2 hours) Onion - 1 large Tomato - 1 medium Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Coriander Powder - 2 tsp Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - as per taste Tamarind - small gooseberry size (soak it and take the pulp) Temper with Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad Dal - 1 tsp Curry Leaves - few Asafoetida 1. Pressure cook the beans with 1/2 tsp salt and water. 2.In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, add all the ingredients for tempering and allow them to crackle. 3. Add...