Karthigai Deepam Recipes-Thirukarthigai recipes(with video)

Thirukarthiagai/Karthigai Deepam is one of the most important festival of lights in South India especially in Tamil nadu.It usually falls on Tamil month Karthigai ( pournami day) when the moon is in line with the six star constellation called Karthigai.It is celebrated in a very grand manner in Tiruvannamalai where they lit Annamalai deepam on the hill and and it is believed that Lord Shiva's jothi will be visible on this day.Lord Muruga took the form of six babies in a lake called "Saravana Poigai". On this day, all his six forms were united by Parvathi(his mother) and this way, he had six faces. Special poojas are performed to Lord Muruga.Karthigai deepam 2016 ie this year it falls on 12th of December(on Monday).The idea behind this festival is to keep away bad things from life and welcome the good and holy things of life.On this day,we clean the house and draw rangoli ( kolam ) in front of pooja room & house entrance.We light oil lamps all over the house in the evening and we make some sweets & snacks like nei appam,Pori urundai/Nel pori urundai, Maavilakku for neivedyam and my MIL also makes kara appam along with these stuffs to finish our dinner.My mom makes a special karthigai deepam kozhukattai and rice flour lamp for the well being of family members.Here i have shared the links for all neivedyam recipes of karthigai deepam with a video recipe for making pori urundai.All are very easy to make and even beginners can give them a try.I have also planned to share few more recipes from tomorrow.Hope you will like these recipes and try it.

I wish u all a very happy Karthigai Deepam .Lets see the collection below.

Click the below picture for Karthigai deepam pooja procedure

Pori urundai recipe - Full Video !

 

 

 

 

  

  

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Very good recipes Tags: Karthigai deepam recipes, Thirukarthigai deepam recipes, Karthigai deepam festival recipes, Nei appam, Pori urundai video recipe, Maavilakku, Appam recipe, Neivedyam recipes

Creamy Puy Lentils with Tahini, Cumin and Red Onion

As I rarely use canned beans, I have to think ahead and soak legumes and grains the night before. On those occasions when I forget, lentils are usually the solution because they require little soaking time, if any at all. Here peppery marble specked French Puy lentils come together with Middle Eastern tahini and cumin flavors in an easy but nourishing and palate pleasing dish. Puy lentils hold together well when cooked and they don't need soaking. In this case, simply simmer them up until tender and then add them later in the dish. Spicy, nutty and fresh, served with brown rice or some olive oil coated lightly toasted pitas, everything you need for a nourishing meal is here, especially when a side salad or vegetable dish makes an appearance at the table.

Creamy Puy Lentils with Tahini, Cumin and Red Onion

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Middle Eastern Published on November 27, 2014 Peppery French lentils simmered in a simple earthy and nutty Middle Eastern style tomato, tahini and cumin sauce with cilantro and lemon Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup French (Puy) lentils, rinsed 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 large cloves garlic, crushed or minced 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped 4 medium tomatoes, diced 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, trimmed and chopped 1/3 cup tahini juice from 1 small lemon (2 tablespoons) 5 tablespoons hot water 1/2 small red onion, cut into thin rings sea salt and freshly crack black pepper to taste Instructions: In a medium saucepan, cover the lentils with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer until the lentils are tender — roughly 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic, cumin and paprika. Stir and fry for 30 seconds, then add the jalapeños and stir and fry for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the cilantro and simmer for another 5 minutes to thicken, stirring often. Stir in the cooked lentils. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, hot water, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Stir this mixture into the lentils and tomatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, for another 5 minutes. Roughly mash some of the lentils with the back of a spoon. Serve hot, garnished with the onion slices and some fresh cilantro if desired, alongside rice or lightly toasted pita breads brushed with some olive oil and herbs. Makes 4 servings

Other lentil dishes to try from Lisa's Kitchen:
Indian-Style Lentils
French Lentil Tomato and Harissa Stew
Puy Lentils with Spices and Tamarind
Beet, Lentil and Vegetable Soup

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Audio Accompaniment: winter silence

Kuthiraivali Puli Upma Recipe|Barnyard Millet Recipes

Barnyard millet/Kuthiraivali in Tamil,Oodalu in Kannada,odalu in Telugu,Jhangora in Hindi and Kavadapullu in Malayalam is a healthy millet which has 6 times high fiber content when compared with wheat.Its a gluten free millet with high calcium,phosporous & fiber.It is high in carbohydates & fat too.It helps to maintain the body temperature.It acts as a good anti oxidant too.This puli upma with kuthiravali is an easy and yummy breakfast cum dinner recipe which can be made under 20 minutes.Its a flavorful one pot meal.Its a great time saving recipe for people who look for quick breakfast/dinner options.We usually make this puli upma with rice or broken rice/Noi arisi.Last week i just tried it with kuthiraivali for a change following my Puli sundal recipe & it tasted yummy when drizzled with few tsp of gingely oil.The best side dish for this puli upma is finely chopped sambar onions/pearl onions.This is not only a tasty combo but also it helps to balance the heat of tamarind & keeps the body cool.Friends try this easy,tasty puli upma recipe with any millet.I am sure you are going to love it.You can also replace kuthiravali with varagu or samai.Cooking procedure & water quantity are the same.This upma can be done in electric rice cooker too.In that case,add 1/2 cup of water more than the mentioned quantity.Ok,Lets see how to make this tasty puli upma using healthy barnyard millet.It stays good for one day travel too.Check out my varieties of millet recipes here.

Kuthiraivali puli upma recipe

Kuthiraivali/Barnyard puli upma recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Breakfast/Dinner

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Kuthiravali/Barnyard millet - 1 cup Toor dal - 2 tbsp Water - 3 cups Tamarind - Big gooseberry size Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Hing/Asfetida - 1/8 tsp Curry leaves - few Salt - as needed To temper Cooking oil or gingely oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 2 tsp Red chillies - 4-6 nos Curry leaves - few Hing/Asafetida - 1/8 tsp

METHOD

Soak tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes and take the extract using 3 cups of water as mentioned above.Its not necessary to use all the 3 cups for taking tamarind extract.U can use 2 cups of water for extract and add the remaining 1 cup of water directly to the cooker.To this tamarind juice,add curry leaves,turmeric powder,salt and hing.Set aside. In a kadai,heat a tsp of oil & roast the toor dal.Remove in a plate.In the same kadai,roast the millet/kuthiravali till it changes to white & puffy.Remove it in toor dal plate. Heat a pressure cooker base with oil and temper all the ingredients given above in the same order.Now add the tamarind extract taken using 3 cups of water.When the water comes to boil,simmer the flame and add the roasted dal & millet.Mix well without lumps. Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle or 3-4 whistles if high flame. It takes 10-12 minutes.After the steam is released,open the lid and fluff it with a fork.It will look mushy when it is hot but it becomes grainy & separate as it cools down. Don’t forget to add a tsp of gingely oil while serving.Enjoy this upma with small onions as side dish.

Note

Roast the dal & millet carefully in medium flame.Make sure nothing gets burnt. Adjust the quantity of chillies based on ur spice level. Add less water ( around 2.5 cups) if u want more fluffy upma.

Enjoy this healthy kuthiravali upma with small onions as side dish.Tastes yumeee !!

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Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake Recipe-Basic Vanilla Sponge Cake Recipe

Baking would be a fun & breeze if u have the perfect recipe in hand.Its so easy and most probably with just 2 steps.You don’t have to look for any consistencies like sweets.Even a beginner can make it without hassles.Though i know this very well,i bake once in a blue moon thinking about all the high calorie stuffs like maida,butter,sugar,condensed milk etc.If u are a controlled eater,u don’t have to worry about all these things.But in my family,no body knows what is controlled eating .Even If you give us a loaf of cake or bread,it would vanish within no time.We can’t resist our temptation to eat if it is a deep fried snack or cake.So to satisfy our cravings,i make one minute microwave cake recipes( Refer side bar) very often in which the quantity of consumption would be greatly reduced.And When i plan to bake a conventional cake,i make sure to exclude at least one or the other ingredient from the above said ones.I always watch out for cake & cookies recipes that uses Oil and curd than butter and condensed milk.Being a vegetarian it should be eggless too.As Christmas is around the corner,i wanted to share some yummy eggless,butterless cake recipes in my blog.Last year this time,i posted eggless vanilla cake recipe using fresh cream.It took one year for me to post yet another delicious,eggless basic vanilla sponge cake recipe .To make this cake interesting,i’ve used tutti frutti  & nuts here.Recently i bought a loaf pan to try whole wheat bread.I baked this cake in that pan.You can try this in a round, square or heart shaped pans too.Its one of the best eggless cake recipes i have ever baked & i adopted this recipe from here & here.This recipe was a super duper hit among my friends and family.Its one of the best tea time cake recipes and you can keep this cake as a base for making birthday and anniversary cakes too.It tastes even more rich and tasty if u decorate this cake with icing !!Try this yummy tutti frutti cake for this Christmas 2014 and share your feedback with me.I am…. waiting .Check out my eggless pressure cooker cake recipe too.You can refer this post,follow the same procedure and make this cake in cooker too.I hope it comes out well.Lets see how to make this eggless vanilla sponge cake recipe with tutti frutti.

Eggless tutti frutti cake

Eggless tutti frutti cake using basic vanilla sponge cake recipe - The best sponge cake ever !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Baking

Serves: 12-15 slices

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 40 Minutes

Total time: 50 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 200 ml For sponge cake batter All purpose flour - 1.5 cups Fresh Curd - 1 cup Baking powder - 1.25 tsp Cooking soda/Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Cooking oil - 1/2 cup (I used saffola oil,use any odourless oil) Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Fine sugar or powdered sugar - 1 cup ( i used 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) For tutti frutti mixture Tutti frutti - 1/2 cup( add more based on ur taste) Raisins - 1 tbsp ( optional) Cashew nuts - 5 nos ( chopped finely) Maida – 1tsp For greasing the pan Cooking oil – 2tsp Maida – 2 tsp OR Butter paper/Parchment paper

METHOD

First take the baking pan and grease with oil all over the bottom and sides till the rim of pan completely.Then sprinkle maida and rotate the pan.Maida should coat the pan in all the sides.If u don’t want to do this step,just line the pan with butter paper or parchment sheet.Make sure u cut the butter paper in proper size before lining the pan. In a bowl,take the tutti fruit,nuts and raisins.Add 1tsp of maida and mix it well.This step is to avoid sinking of tutti frutti in the bottom of pan. In a big bowl,take the curd( my curd was slightly watery.I used nandini packet curd) and beat it with a whisk.Do not beat it vigorously.Just mix till it becomes smooth.To this curd, add baking powder and baking soda.Mix it slowly & gently.As u mix,u will see bubbles rising from it.Stop mixing and keep the bowl aside for 5 minutes.In the mean time,sieve the maida once or twice in a bowl and keep it ready. Now if u check the curd mixture,it would have risen well with foamy texture. Add the fine sugar or powdered sugar to it.Mix it with the whisk gently.Do not beat it.Just do it such that the bubbles should not subside.After mixing the sugar,add the vanilla essence and oil.Mix it slowly and nicely.The mixture should not lose its air particles.So be gentle. Add half of the sieved maida and fold it gently.Again add the remaining half and mix well.Lastly add the tutti frutti mix and fold it.Make sure there are no lumps formed.Batter should be of dropping consistency and not too thick.Transfer it to the cake pan and pat the pan well for uniform distribution. Preheat the oven in convection mode for 10 minutes in 180c.Keep the cake pan and bake it for 35-40 minutes at 180c in convection mode.Remove the cake just 5 minutes before completion brush it with milk.This gives a golden crust.Keep an eye after 30 minutes and check with a skewer.If it comes out clean with little crumbs,your cake is done.Else keep it for another 5 minutes.Mine took exactly 42 minutes.It may vary slightly.After the cake is done,remove and let it cool.Run a knife all through the sides of pan and invert the cake in a plate.It will come off easily.Slice it and serve with coffee/tea or enjoy as it is !

Note

This cake doesn’t come out white in color.It would be slightly yellowish in color. Do not over bake the cake than the mentioned time. Keep an eye after 25 minutes.Brushing with milk is very important to get golden colored crust on top. Adding cashews and raisins is completely optional.Tutti frutti alone gives you great taste to this cake.  You can also make this cake plain without adding nuts & dry fruits and enjoy.For variations u can add orange zest or lemon zest in the batter to make orange & lemon sponge cakes. To make this as chocolate cake,add a tbsp of cocoa powder to the batter and mix well. This cake stays good for 2 days without refrigeration.

Try this yummy tutti frutti cake for this Christmas and enjoy !!

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Beetroot Kootu Recipe-Side dish For Rice

I am planning to share this recipe for long time but i was not able to do it.This is one kootu recipe i make very often next to keerai kootu & mixed vegetable kootu.This is our family favourite recipe too.As Sendhil has fatty liver problem,i try to include beetroot in my cooking at least twice or thrice in a week.I make this kootu or one of these poriyals( my mom’s version & easy version).Even Raksha loves these recipes lot.Today she told me to prepare More kuzhambu & beetroot kootu for her lunch.So i made it along with Pirandai thogayal for our lunch.My MIL has the practice of mixing side dishes with rice adding a drop of ghee or gingely oil to make her Son & daughter eat vegetables.So i too mixed this kootu with plain rice adding a tsp of ghee & packed for Sendhil’s lunch box.But Raksha loves to have this kootu as a side dish for more kuzhambu sadam like me.It tastes great in either ways ! Here i have used moong dal following my MIL.You can also replace it with chana dal like in hotels.Do try it.Its a very simple and delicious kootu recipe with a mild sweetness of beets !

Beetroot kootu recipe

Beetroot kootu recipe with moong dal

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dishes

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To pressure cook Beetroot - 1 no ( very big) or 2 nos ( if medium sized) Moong dal - 1.5 tbsp Salt & water - as needed To grind Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Green chillies - 2-3 nos Small onions - 3 nos Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp Rice flour - 1/2 tsp To temper Coconut oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1/2 tsp Curry leaves - few

METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of beetroot and chop into small cubes.In a pressure cooker base,take the moong dal,chopped beetroot,salt & water.Mix well and pressure cook for one whistle in low flame.( I cooked it along with rice in cooker by keeping beetroot in a small bowl to save time). Grind all the ingredients given under” to grind” to a smooth paste adding enough water. Add this paste to the cooked beetroot and boil the mixture in a kadai till its raw smell goes off completely.Add some water if u find the kootu is very thick. Lastly heat a small kadai and temper all the ingredients given under “to temper”.Add to the kootu and mix well. Enjoy !

Note

You can replace moong dal with chana dal but u should soak the chana dal for 30 minutes before cooking. Add more chillies if u want the kootu to be spicy.We like mildly spiced kootu.So i add only 2 chillies. Adding coconut oil gives a nice flavor to this kootu.So don’t skip it.

Enjoy this healthy,colorful beetroot kootu with rice and any gravy !

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