Kulphi

A healthy and tasty treat for the fussy kids. An ice loaded with lots of nuts. This is a short cut to the lengthy condensing process. I have used condensed milk.

Ingredients:
Milk – 1 litre
Condensed milk - 1 cup
Pistachios - 1 tbsp chopped finely
Almonds - 1 tbsp skinned and chopped finely
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

Put the milk and chopped nuts into a wide, heavy pan and bring to boil over medium heat by stirring occasionally.
Wait until the cream layers form on top and slowly add condensed milk and saffron strands.

Now lower the heat and cook the milk, stirring constantly for about 5-7 minutes.

Now add a pinch of cardamom powder, stir well and remove from the fire.

Allow it to cool down and pour the mixture into Kulfi moulds.

Freeze until set, about 6 hours.

Enjoy....

Matar Paneer / Green peas with cottage cheese

Green peas and Paneer are cooked together into a delicious gravy. This is one of the most popular curry found in all over the world.

Ingredients:
Paneer – 250 gms
Mattar / Green pea (Boiled)- ½ cup
Onion – 1 large
Tomato – 1 large
Cashews – 5-6
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Oil
Salt
Cream – ¼ cup
Garam masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Fresh or dried methi - hand full

Method:

Heat a pan with 1 tbsp of oil

Add cashews, chopped onion, Ginger garlic paste, large pinch of salt and fry for 2 minutes.

Add tomato and cook till they turn mushy.

Allow it to cool down and grind into smooth paste.

Heat another pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Add chopped green chilli. Saute for a minute and pour the onion tomato mixture.

To this add turmeric, garam masala powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and kasthuri methi. Cook for 2 minutes by sautéing continuously.

Add green pea, mix them and pour ½ cup or required amount of water and cook them for 4-5 minutes or until the peas are tender.

Add paneer and cream and cook for 4-5 minutes under reduced flame.

At the end splash some coriander and serve warm.

Delicious matar paneer

Gruha Pravesham / House warming

I would like to share these auspicious moments with you all. This is one of my dreams. Not only mine, I think every one's dream to have a dream home.

Gruha Pravesham / Griha Pravesh ceremony is performed on the day when you start living into your new house. This is a very important occasion for any family. To start living, the entry into the new house on this auspicious day is termed as the Griha Pravesh ritual. 

It is believed that the new acquisition is susceptible to evil forces and jealousy and therefore various 'safeguard' ceremonies must be performed. This ceremony aims to appease the gods and planets so that the owner of the house is blessed with good fortune.

There are lots of rituals as part of this ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, house is cleaned and decorated with a garland of mango leaves, hung across the main doorway as a protective barrier against evil. Poles are erected outside the house around which banana leaves are wound and tied. Both the mango and the banana tree are considered auspicious, since they are symbols of fertility and prosperity.

Art of making beautiful garlands. My sister in law is an expert in making these marvellous maalas.

Final look

Mandhiram decorated for Lord Sathya Naarayana Swami vratham

My co-sister helped in decorating this.

Mala of Chrysanthemum.

Initially my husband and my brother-in-law have consulted the flower decorators to decorate the whole house. After hearing the unimaginable quotation, I have decided to do it by my self. Of course, with the help of my beloved family members. Trust me it has costed me only quarter of the amount which the decorators have quoted.

I only selected two colours of  chrysanthemum. Sewed in a pattern. Came out very well. 

This is one of the effortless work that any one can make the maala with chrysanthemum. One needs to have little bit of creativity,,, and the end result is ...

Chrysanthemum looks so elegant with white back ground

Another auspicious moment... entering into the house with offerings to God

Kalasha pooja

In a Silver or Copper vessel Water is taken and this water is to be Sanctified with mantra balam , to be used in Pooja,The doer of the Pooja after decorating kalasam with Kumkum and Gandham places his hands over the Kalasam and says few mantras.

Here we are invoking or inviting (avaahanam) and think that The Mukha( face ) of kalasam is Vishnuh, 

The neck part is rudra , At the Base is Brahma, in the centre part all matruganaas,in the stomack (inner part) is all Oceans on the Earth and all seven Dweepaas (islands) and the Entire earth (bhoomaata), and all Rug, yajur, saama and adharvana vedas are here in kalasam.

As part of the pooja we invite rivers (aavaahanam) into kalasajalam.

The Mantra is

'' GangeYcha yamunneYchaiva Godaavari Saraswati,

Narmadaa Sindhu Kaaveyri Jaley Asmin Sannidhim Kuru''

All these sacred River waters are now entered in Kalasam. Thus Kalasam is now sarva Devathaa roopam, sarva divya nadhee roopam and sarva vedha roopam.So Sacred.

Another ritual of griha pravesham - Boiling of milk till it over flows.

The family’s deities are enshrined in the Pooja Room and the lady of the house boils milk, till it overflows. The milk is shared between the family members. The Reasoning - The boiling-over of milk signifies that there will always be an (overflow) abundance of happiness, wealth and peace in the building. The sharing of milk signifies that the family should share the good and the bad always.

This ritual is done by my sister-in-law

The holy Homam

Homam is the ritual in which making offerings into a consecrated fire. The consecrated fire forms the focus of devotions

Homam - decorated by my Co-sister

Apart from the rituals we performed as part of the house warming ceremony, it is the family members who have involved in each and every part of the ceremony made our house as HOME.

Thanks to God who gave me such a wonderful family..

Thanks to one and each who made this as a memorable day...

Lastly, thanks to my nephew who captured the memorable events. Thanks Harsha

Raagi malt with butter milk

This is an immensely nutritious drink. We can prepare this as Hot or Cold and Sweet or Savoury varieties.

I prefer to have the hot / Sweet variety during moist days and love to have the cold / butter milk variety during hot summer season.  The sweet variety / porridge can be served as breakfast. 

Ingredients:

Raagi flour - 1 tbsp

Water - 2 cups

Yoghurt - 1 cup beaten into smooth paste

Salt

Cumin powder - 1 pinch (Optional)

Method:

Mix the flour in 1/4 cup of water without any lumps and keep it aside.

Heat a deep pan with water.

When the water reaches the boiling point, reduce the flame and add the flour mixture to water by stirring it constantly.

Continue stirring until the mixture is cooked well and gets consistent. 

Allow it to reach the room temperature and mix it with beaten yoghurt, salt and cumin powder.

Serve it at room temperature or chilled.

Note:

If you would like to drink this, make it bit more watery and if not make it bit thick and have it like porridge.

Drumsticks Curry / Munakkaya pulusu

A curry made from the unripe drumstick pods sauted in tomatos & onions gravy with added peanuts paste and some mild spices. The peanut paste gives the unique flavour to the curry.

Munakkaya pulusu

There are lots of medicinal values in drumsticks.

The tender drumstick pods acts as a preventive against intestinal worms.

Drumsticks other miraculous quality is,-its ability to purify water. They have been used by households for centuries. But it has only recently been tested commercially. Powdered Moringa seeds, when added to murky, bacteria-laden water, act as a coagulant, binding to the bacteria and silt and falling to the bottom of the vessel. The clean water can then be poured out.

The pods made into a soup are prescribed as a diet in sub-acute cases of enlarged liver and spleen, articular pains, tetanus, debility of nerves, paralysis, pustules, patches and leprosy.

Ingredients:

Drumsticks - 2-3 medium - Chopped into two inches pieces

Onion - 2 medium thinly sliced

Tomatoes - 3-4 medium sized

Tamarind pulp extracted from 2 lemons size tamarind.

Peanuts - 1 heaped tbsp , roasted and skinned

Grated dry coconut - 1 tbsp

Garlic pods - 2

Salt

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - handful

Red chilli - 2

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Heat a deep pan with oil. When it is warm enough add red chilli and curry leaves followed by sliced onion.

Add some salt and saute for a moment. Then add chopped tomatoes and saute them for a while until soft.

Add the drumsticks, mix every thing and add 2 cups of water and cover it with lid.

In the mean time blend the peanuts, coconut, garlic, coriander and chilli powder into fine powder. You can even make it into fine paste by adding little bit of water.

Add the peanuts mixture into the curry along with the tamarind pulp and allow it to cook thoroughly until the drumsticks get tender.

Remove from the heat and serve it with plain rice or with Raagi sangati.

Friendship Recipe

On the occasion of Friendship day, I am delighted to share this recipe prepared by Jacqueline Jules

Combine:
1/2 cup style
1 cup smart
2 cups sparkle
3 cups heart
Add:
1/2 cup humor
2 teaspoons sweet
a pinch of spunk
a dash of discreet.
Stir them together
until they all blend
bake at 350,
you’ll make a good friend.

Bhel Poori

This is a crunchy snack served with sweet and sour chutneys. You can find this snack almost at every Indian street. I was so fascinated towards the street vendors, the way they move their hands so swiftly to assemble the ingredients in one plate.

Ingredients:

Potato - boiled and mashed - 1 cup

Carrot, grated - 1

Chopped Onion - 1 

Chopped tomato - 1 

Chopped coriander - 1 tbsp

Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp

Puffed rice - 4 cups

Papdi / Flat poori or golgappas- 16. Break 12 of them into large chunks and keep the rest to on the top.

Thin Sev - 1 cup

Sweet chutney - 4 tbsp

Mint Chutney - 2 tbsp

Beaten yoghurt - 2 tbsp

Method:

Roast the puffed rice in a broad pan until they turn little extra crunchy.

Mix all the ingredients.

Serve the mixture in a container and sprinkle some chat masala for extra spice.

Note: Mix them just before serving to retain the crunchiness, otherwise they will turn soggy.