7 Cups Cake/7 cups sweet

7 cups cake/7 cups sweet is a traditional sweet usually made for Diwali.

Last year,I tried this sweet for the first time and it came out too good.

This year,I made this for a potluck party.

Ingredients:

Besan/Gram Dal flour - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 1 cup(only the white part)

Ghee/clarified butter - 1 cup (slightly melt it)

Boiled ,cooled Milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 3 cups(But can be reduced to 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cup)

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.Grease a plate with ghee.Keep a bowl of water ready for testing the consistency.

In a hard bottomed vessel,start heating the mixture on a medium-high heat.

The mixture will become watery at first and then will begin to boil.

Reduce the heat to medium.

Keep on stirring so that the mixture will not get burnt at the bottom.

After some time,The mixture will start to froth and will start leaving the sides of pan.Take a small amount and put in into the bowl of water and try to roll it into a bowl.

If you are able to roll into a soft ball,then it has reached the right consistency.

Transfer into the greased plate.Level with a greased bowl.

After 10 minutes, cut into square shapes.

Store in airtight container.

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Corn flour Murukku

This is a very simple murukku recipe,made with store-bought flours.I took this recipe from Aval Vikatan magazine

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 1 cup

Corn flour - 1/2 cup

Fried Gram Dal/Pottu kadalai Maavu - 2 Tablespoon

Besan - 3/4 cup

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Melted Butter - 2 Tablespoon

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Salt - as required

Water - as needed to make the dough.

Oil for frying

Method:

Mix all the flour,jeera,chili powder,asafoetida,salt,melted butter.

Add water little by little to make a soft dough.

Heat  oil in a vessel.Test by dropping a little bit of murukku dough into the hot oil.If it rises immediately,then the oil is ready for frying.

In the murukku press,fix the thenkuzhal mold/achu(the one with 3 holes) and fill the dough.Start squeezing the handles of the press in a circular motion directly into the oil.

Flip the murukku so that it gets cooked on both sides. When frying sound subsides,remove the murukku form the oil and place it on a tissue paper to absorb excess oil.

Store in airtight container.

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Badham Halwa/Almond Halwa

Diwali is just round the corner!Hope everyone is gearing up making lots of sweets and savouries.

This year I wanted to try new recipes of sweets and savouries.So I chose the richest halwa of all,the almond halwa /badam halwa.

Ingredients:

Almond - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 1/4 cup

Ghee - 1/2(1/4 +1/4) cup melted and warm

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp optional

Yellow food color - 1/4 tsp

Boiled Milk - 1/2 cup

Method:

Soak almonds in water overnight.Remove the skin and grind it in a mixie adding milk.

In a thick bottomed vessel,add the sugar and almond paste and start stirring on a medium flame.

First the mixture will be watery,because the sugar will start to melt.Slowly the paste will start to thicken.

At this point,add the color and ghee.After sometime,the ghee will be absorbed fully.

Keep a greases plate.Take a little bit of halwa and test it by rolling in the plate.If you are able  to make a soft ball,then you have reached the consistency.

In a greased vessel transfer the contents and add the remaining ghee and mix.

Garnish with slivered almonds.

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Microwave Carrot Halwa

Happy Navrathri to all readers!!Hope you are enjoying with your family and friends,indulging in sundal:-)

I made this super easy carrot halwa in microwave for the first day of navrathri and it contains less fat than the original stove top version.I adapted this recipe from Tarla dalal's carrot halwa(stove top recipe)

Ingredients:

Grated carrot - 1 1/2 cups

Milk powder - 4 TB Sp

Sugar - 4 Tbsp

Ghee - 2 Tbsp

Cardamom powder - 1tsp

Cashew nut for garnishing

Method:

Mix carrot and ghee and microwave for 8 minutes by covering with a lid.

Grated carrots will become soft and cooked.

Add the milk powder,sugar ,stir and microwave for 5 minutes.

At the last minute of the cooking time add the cardamom powder and mix.

At the end of 5 minutes it would have attained a halwa consistency.

Garnish with cashewnuts.

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Microwave Mysore Pak

Iam back to blogging after a long break!!

Today is my younger one's 3rd birthday.So I made this mysorepak in a microwave.The whole process takes 8 minutes!!Easy isn't it??

When you crave for mysore pak and you dont feel like going through the whole laborius process of standing in front of the stove with a ladle,you can try this.

Ingredients:

Besan/chickpea flour - 1 cup

Melted ghee - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Water - 1  1/2  cup


Method:


Grease a plate with ghee.

Mix melted ghee and besan without any lumps.

In a microwave safe bowl(large enough so that the mixture does not overflow during the process),heat the sugar and water and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Stir and then microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Now add the ghee-besan mixture,mix thoroughly and then microwave for 4 minutes.

Stir for every minute,as it tends to overflow.

At the end of 4 minutes,when you look at the vessel,pores would be formed all over.That is exactly the required consistency.

You will get the timing right after you give 1 or 2 tries.It depends on the microwave too.

Even I felt i should've reduced 40 second during my last minute .I got a little bit hard texture.


Transfer into the plate and after 2 minutes cut into desired shape.

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Rava and Coconut Burfi

Ive tried similar kind of burfi only with coconut.It will be slightly soft and chewy.

This recipe is my chithi's recipe handed over to her by her MIL.It uses a combination of sooji/rava and coconut.The sooji gives a little hard texture  to the burfi.

Ingredients:

Sooji / Rava - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 3/4 cup or 2 cups if you want it to be sweeter

Ghee - 2 tablespoon

Powdered Cardamom - 2tsp

Method :

Grease a plate.

Slightly roast grated coconut and rava separately till i tbecomes slightly golden

In a thick bottomed vessel add the sugar and  just enough water to cover the sugar.

Heat the mixture on high until it starts boiling.Reduce the heat and allow it to cook till you get one string consistency.

Now add the coconut and rava and keep on stirring for every 2 minutes on medium heat.

Once when the mixture starts leaving the pan,add the cardamom powder  and 2 tablespoon of ghee.

Transfer the contents into the greased plate,level it with a flat bottomed cup and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.

Cut into desired shapes

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Omapodi

Omapodi is one savory which I don't make often at home because murukku/chakli is our favorite.

It was rainy outside and I so i wanted to make this simple omapodi to be served with coffee.Its so simple to make and it takes less time than any other savory item.

Ingredients:

Besan/Chick pea flour - 2 cups

Rice flour - 1cup

Omam/Ajwain/Carom seeds - 1 Tbsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Chili powder - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Hot oil - 2 tsp

Oil for deep frying

Thenkuzhal press with the disc which has tiny holes.

Method:

Heat oil in a deep pan.

Grind the ajwain seeds with 1/2 cup of water and filter it and reserve the water.

In a bowl mix the besan,rice flour,salt,chili powder,asafoetida,2tsp of hot oil,reserved water.

Add more water to make it into a pliable dough.In the thenkuzhal press add the dough.

When oil is hot,squeeze the handle of the press over the oil in concentric circle about 6 inches in diameter.When slightly cooked turn over to the other side ad let it cook till there is no more hissing sound of oil.

Note:Omapodi cooks fastly than murukku and it can get burnt easily.

Drain on an absorbent paper and store in airtight container.

Serve with hot tea/coffee

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Microwave Therattipaal

Wishing all the readers of Simple Vegetarian Recipes Merry Christmas!!
Ive been neglecting this space of mine for almost 6 months.I feel sooo bad about it:-(Some readers sent email enquiring about me and thanks a ton for that.

But during these days Ive tried new recipes and even took pictures.I hope to keep my blog going on atleast in 2012:-)

I tried this MW therattipaal and its very close to the stove top recipe.

Ingredients:

Full fat sweetened condensed milk - 1 tin(14oz)

Curd - 2TBSP

Ghee - 2tsp

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp


Procedure:

Mix all the ingredients in a wide,deep Microwave safe bowl.Microwave for 5 minutes.Then stir again and microwave for another 2 minutes.Altogether my cooking time was 13 minutes(5+2+2+2+1).But keep an eye on it because the contents may overflow.When it starts to soldify,add the ghee and cardamom powder and allow to stand for 1 minute.

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Mini Pepper Thattai

Mini pepper thattai was in my draft for a long time..This is very easy to make and would be perfect with a hot cup of coffee.

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2 cups

Urad /Black Gram Dal Flour - 1/4 cup

Coarsely Ground Black Pepper - 3 tsp

Butter - 2 Tbsp

Salt to taste

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Oil - for deep frying

Water as required

Method:

In a bowl add the rice flour,urad flour,asafoetida,chilli powder,pepper,salt and melted butter.

Mix thoroughly.Add water little by little until it forms a soft dough.The dough should not be very dry.

In a Ziploc bag smear some oil.Make small marble sized balls from the dough.

Pat the ball and flatten it with the tip of your finger to about 1 inch in diameter.Prick the surface with fork to prevent them from puffing up while frying.The ends of the thattai should not crack.If it does,sprinkle little water and mix.

Heat oil in a pan.When hot enough,deep fry them until they are golden brown in color.

Drain with a slotted spoon store them in airtight container.

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Cashew Mysore Pak

Wishing you a very happy and prosperous 2011!!

Since this is my first post of 2011,I wanted to start with a sweet note.I tried this sweet and came out very well.Ive made Mysore pak before.But this is the first time I tried cashew Mysore pak.This is a recipe of Mrs Chitra Viswanathan of Indusladies.Iam amazed by her cooking skills ranging from the traditional Tamil Brahmin recipes to International recipes.She is an inspiration to amateur cooks like me.

When my mom was here last year,she made this mysorepak and it came out perfect.So I mustered my courage to try out this new Mysore pak recipe.

Ingredients:


Powdered Cashew - 1 cup

Besan/Gram flour - 1/3 cup

Sugar - 1 3/4 cup

Ghee - 1 cup melted

Water - 2 cups


Method:


Fry the besan in 2 tsp of ghee .Mix the cashew powder and besan in melted ghee and stir till no lumps are found.

Boil the sugar and water to 1 string consistency.That is if you pour the syrup from a ladle,a string appears from the tip of the ladle.

Add the cashew-besan-ghee mixture into the sugar syrup.

Keep on stirring till it becomes a solid mass and it leaves the sides of the pan.

Pour the contents into a greased plate.When slightly cool,cut into desired shapes.

Store in airtight containers.

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Kara Thenkuzhal/Spicy Blackgram Chakli

This is a very simple chakli/murukku recipe with all store bought flours.

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Urad Dal/Black gram  flour - 1/2 cup

If the black gram flour is not available in store,you can make your own by dry roasting 1 cup of black gram Dal in a pan till it becomes slightly red and a nice aroma comes from the Dal.Grind it to a fine powder in a mixie/food processor.Use as needed and store the remaining flour in freezer.

Chili powder - 2tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Melted butter - 3tbsp

Asaofoetida - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Water required to make a soft dough

Oil - 3 cups 

Method:

In a medium sized bowl,add the rice flour,black gram flour,cumin seeds,asafoetida,chili powder,required amount of salt and mix well.

Add the melted butter.Add water little by little and knead into a smooth dough.

Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat.

Place the thenkuzhal disc(the one which has three small holes) in the press.Fill about three-quarters of dough into the press.

Hold the press over the oil and squeeze the press in circular motion.Cook one side till it is slightly brown and turn the other side and cook for a few more minutes until both sides are golden brown in color.

Remove from the oil and drain in a paper towel.Store when they are cool in an air-tight container.

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Muthusaram/Mullu Murukku

I made this snack for Janmashtami/Krishna Jayanthi.

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Besan /Chickpea Flour - 1/2 cup

Urad dal Flour - 1/2 cup

Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

White/Black Sesame seeds - 2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Butter - 2 Tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying - about 3 cups

Water for making the dough

Method:

Mix all the flours together.Add the chilli powder,salt,asafoetida,sesame seeds and required amount of salt.

Melt the butter and add to the flour.Add water little by little till it becomes a smooth dough.

Place the star shaped disc in the murukku press.Fill the dough upto three-quarters of the press.

Heat the oil in a deep pan.

When the oil is hot enough,hold the press over the oil and squeeze the handles of the press in a circular motion.

Cook for sometime.Then turn over the murukku and fry for sometime.

When they become golden brown in color,remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

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Badam Burfi/Badam Cake

Ingredients:

Almonds/Badam - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Milk - 1/2 cup

Ghee - 1/2 cup

Water - 3/4 cup

Yellow food color - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Soak the almonds in boling water for 5 minutes and then in cold water for about an hour.Peel the skin and grind into a smooth paste adding milk little by little.
In a heavy bottomed pan(preferably a non-stick pan)dissolve the sugar in 3/4 cup of water.In a low flame keep on stirring the sugar solution.
After it starts to boil,don't stir occasionally.Test the consistency of the syrup.It should form a string about 1cm long ,when the syrup is poured from a ladle.
At this time add half of the ghee and the almond paste.
Keep on stirring on low heat till the mixture starts  to leave the sides of the vessel .
Add  the yellow food color and the remaining ghee.
After the ghee is absorbed,pour the contents on to a greased plate .

Wait for 5 minutes and then cut into diamonds.

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Butter Murukku

My kid's summer vacation has started and i have made a long list of munchies to be made throughout the summer and this one topped the list.He likes this murukku a lot.

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Urad Dal/Black Gram flour - 1/2 cup

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Chillipowder - 1 tsp

Melted butter - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Water for mixing the dough

Method:

In a bowl,mix the rice flour,urad dal flour,asafoetida,salt,chilli powder and mix well.Add the melted butter and mix till they resemble bread crumbs.Now add water little by little and knead into a soft dough.
Heat oil in a pan.Place a little amount of dough in the murukku press.
Drop a little bit of dough into the oil.If it rises up immediately,then the oil is ready for frying.
Squeeze the murukku press directly into the hot oil in a circular motion.
Fry in high heat for 1 minute.Then in a medium flame fry the murukkus till they become slightly brown in color and there is no more sizzling.
Drain them in a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Allow them to cool.
Store in airtight container.

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Kaju Katli

Kaju katli is my kid's favorite sweet.


I actually learnt to make this sweet dish only after I came to US.


When we were in India,we always pay a visit frequently to the one and only Adyar Anand Bhavan.They make the best kaju katlis.Their sweets and savouries are drool -worthy!!


I really miss them.

So when i was searching for kaju katli recipe,I stumbled upon Chitvish's recipes in Indusladies.


Her recipe is so simple.Here it goes


Ingredients:


Cashews - 1 cup


Sugar - 3/4 cup(If u like it to be sweeter the you can add 1 cup)


Ghee - 1 tbsp


water - 1/4 cup


Method:



Microwave the cashews for 1 minute.Powder it in a mixie.Use the pulser.


Smear a little bit of ghee on the back of a plate and the flat side of a katori/cup.


In a heavy bottomed vessel add 1/4 cup of water.Then add the sugar and allow it to boil.


Test the consistency of the sugar syrup.It can be done by a putting a spoon of sugar syrup in a glass of water.If you can roll the sugar syrup into a ball then it has reached the right consistency.


Switch off the stove and add the cashew powder.Keep on stirring until it becomes a thick mass.


Empty it into the greased plate and with the back side of the cup spread and flatten it as thin as possible.


Cut into diamond shapes.

Iam sending this to Sweet Time Event hosted by Shanthi

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Ribbon Pakoda

Ribbon pakoda is a popular tea-time snack which is very simple to make and it one of the diwali snacks.

You need to have a murukku press with a slide having a rectangle hole.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups - rice flour

1 cup - besan flour/gram flour

1 tbsp - melted butter

chilli powder - according to your spice level

salt - to taste

any vegetable oil - for deep frying

water - for kneading the dough


Method:

In a bowl add the rice flour,gram flour,salt,chillipowder,asafoetida and melted butter.Mix everything thoroughly.

Then add water little by little till it becomes a soft dough.

Heat the oil in a kadai.Put a small amount of dough into the murukku press.

When the oil is ready, squeeze the handles of the murukku press directly into the hot oil.

Move the murukku press in a circular motion.You can see the dough being formed like ribbons in a circle.Be careful in not overlapping the ribbons.

Keep on turning the sides of the pakoda so that both sides are cooked.

When the pakodas are golden brown and no more sizzling sound is heard ,you can take them out of the oil and drain them in a paper towel.

When completely cool,store them in an airtight container.

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Crispy Thattai

Thattai is an ideal tea-time snack.It is little bit time consuming than any other snack.But the taste is worth all the effort and hardwork!!

It is usually a must on the list of snacks on Janmashtami.

Actually there are so many versions of this recipe.This one is my mom's.

Ingredients:

2 cups - rice flour(You can use store bought,but make sure it is fresh)

Slightly dry roast Urad dal in a pan.Powder it in a mixie.

1/4 cup - Urad dal /Black gram dal flour .

2tsp - chana dal

1 sprig - curry leaves(finely chopped)

1/4 tsp - asafoetida

2 tbsp - melted butter

chilli powder - to taste

salt - to taste

any oil - for frying

Method:

Soak the chana dal in water for 2 hours.Drain them completely and keep them aside.In a bowl mix the rice flour,urad dal flour,asafotida,salt,chilli powder,chopped curry leaves,drained chana dal.

Add the melted butter to the flour mixture and mix it well.Then add water little by little and keep on kneading till it becomes a stiff dough.Be careful in not adding too much of water.

Make small balls of the dough.In a well-oiled plastic sheet /ziploc bag pat the balls into thin discs.You can oil your hand if you feel the dough is sticky.Then with a fork prick all over the thattai because we don't want the thattai to puff up like a puri when frying.

Heat the oil in a deep kadai.When the oil is heated up, put a little bit of dough.If it rises up well and sizzles then the oil is ready for frying.If it settles down ,then the oil is not ready yet.

Fry 3 thattai at a time turning them over to ensure both sides are cooked.The thattais are ready to be taken out of oil when you dont hear any sizzling sound and when they attain light golden brown color.

Drain and cool them completely.Then store in an air-tight container.

Iam sending this to Smitha's Colors of Taste-Powders event.The theme for May 2009 is Rice flour.

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