FAST KULFIby Shanthi Mohan

Preparation time: 5 minutes.Cooking time: about 6 hours in freezer.

Ingredients

1 can sweetened condensed milk 2 small cartons of heavy cream 200 grams of shelled pistachio nutsA few pistachio and almond flakes to garnish on top

Method

Blend the first three ingredients in a blender until finely mixed. Pour the mixture in molds or tiny cups and pop them into the freezer for 6 to 7 hours. Before serving, garnish with pistachio and almond flakes.

BANANA IDLIby Shanthi Mohan

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas¾ cup semolina4 tablespoons coconut, grated½ teaspoon bicarbonate of sodaSalt to taste1 tablespoon sugar (optional)Ghee to taste

Method:

Peel and chop bananas into small pieces. Heat ghee over a low flame and fry semolina till light brown. Cool and keep aside. Mix chopped bananas with grated coconut, semolina, bicarbonate, salt, sugar and one cup water. Stir well. Cook like idlies in an idli mold for 10 - 12 minutes. Serve hot with ghee or chutney powder.

CHAKLI by Rangamani Iyengar (from Mysore)

Ingredients (for 40 pieces)

4 cups rice flour (slightly coarse for more crispiness)1 cup urad flour (black gram)2 teaspoon white sesame seeds1/8 teaspoon asafoetida (peringayam or hing)½ stick butter (for mixing)

Salt to taste2 cups cooking oil for frying

MethodFry urad flour in a dry pan on the flame until there is a fragrant smell.* Dissolve salt and asafoetida in a cup of water. Mix the rice flour, urad flour, butter and sesame seeds in a large container. Add sufficient quantity of water, salt + asafoetida solution to the mix prepared in step 3. Mix all the ingredients by hand to make a soft dough. Knead the dough well. Using a chakli press, press the dough to make round chaklis on a plastic sheet. Deep fry the chaklis until brown over slow heat. Chaklis are usually very crisp, if you make urad flour at home by washing the urad dal, drying in the sun, frying slightly and grinding to a fine powder.

KODVALEby Rangamani Iyengar (from Mysore) Quantity - 40

Ingredients (for 40 pieces)

3 cups rice flour½ cup cream of what (rava)½ cup coconut powder4 teaspoons red chili powder¼ teaspoon asafoetida1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil (for mixing)Salt to tasteCooking oil for frying1 twig curry leaf or coriander leaves finely chopped (optional)

Method

Dissolve asafoetida and salt in a cup of water. Mix well the rice flour, rava, chili powder, coconut and cumin seeds in a suitable container. Add butter or hot oil and the chopped leaves to the mixed ingredients from the previous step. Mix well. Add sufficient quantity of water, and the salt + asafoetida solution to the mix prepared in step 3. Mix all the ingredients with hand to make a soft dough. Kneed the dough well Prepare suitable size kodvale rolls out of the dough(by hand), on a plastic sheet or on a convenient plate. Deep fry 4 to 6 kodvales at a time slowly until it is brown. Use a wooden or steel prong to lift through the center hole.

LADDU by Rama Patel

Ingredients (for 40 pieces)

2 cups besan (Gram flour)2 cups sugar

1 ½ cups water2 ½ cups vegetable oil1 teaspoon cardamom powder (elaichi)1/8 cup almond pieces2 tablespoons white raisins

Method Make a thick batter from gram flour and water. Make boondis by frying the batter in hot oil using a laddu chalni (sieve). Make sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water in a vessel until slightly sticky. Mix the boondis, raisins, cardamom powder, and almond pieces in a big vessel. After it cools, make small balls of laddus by hand

Seera Molaggu Sathammaduby Smt. Rajalakshmi Rangaswamy, ColoradoSeera molaggu sathammadu is recommended for a cold or digestion problems. Ingredients:1/2 cup thoor dhal3 medium sized red chilies (molaggai)2 teaspoons pepper (molaggu)1 ½ teaspoons jeera (jeeragai)Turmeric powder (manjal podi)Tamarind paste (puli)Asafetida (perungayam)Curry leaves (kari vepu illai)Mustard seedsSalt to taste 1 tablespoon cooking oil and waterMethod:Heat up the oil in a pan. After the oil gets warm, add the chillies and thoor dhal and roast till dhal gets very warm. Add pepper (it will start popping). Add jeera. Switch off the heat, add asafetida and cover the pan with a lid. When cool, grind ingredients mixed with water.Pour 3 cups of water into a cooking vessel. Add 1 teaspoon tamarind paste and a small amount of turmeric powder. Boil the water. Pour the ingredients paste to the boiling water. Add additional water and shut off the heat after the liquid boils for one minute. Add salt to taste. Season with mustard and curry leaves. Will make about ten cups of the sathammadu.(Note: Raw tomatoes could be added for taste and cooked with the ingredients.)

Rice & Coconut Kali (Arashi Tenga Kali)by Smt. Goda Dattatreya, New JerseyIngredients:1 cup rice1 teaspoon menthya (Methi)1 cup sour yogurt1/8 cup grated coconut4 or 5 green chiliesA small bunch of coriander Salt to tasteGarnish:1 spoon of oil1 stick of butter

Kadugu (Mustard seeds) and PerungayumMethod:Wash and soak rice and menthya in two cups of water for about an hour or more. In a blender grind the rice and the rest of the ingredients using all the water.In a big sauce pan or koon, (non stick works very well or spray Pam on the surface) heat the oil and butter. Add kadugu and peyrungayum. As you hear the popping sound of kadugu, pour the blended liquid. Keep stirring. As the rice cooks, the liquid thickens and gradually comes to a soft dough consistency. Should not take more than 10 - 15 minutes to cook. Serve it hot with butter & kadugu gojju.

Ramanavami Preparations By Bhagya ChariDuring Ramanavami, it is customary to make Kosambari (salad) and Panakam (juice). In south India, one can find many households making these dishes with different variations. These dishes are healthy, tasty and easy to prepare. . Kosambari:

Ingredients:1/2 cup moong dhal or chana dhal1 lime4 cucumbers2 green chiliesSalt to tasteGarnish: Asafetida (perungayam or hing) - optionalFinely chopped coriander leaves (kotthamalli)1 teaspoon ghee1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)3 teaspoons of grated fresh coconutMethod:Soak the dhal for one hour. Chop the cucumber into thin small pieces. Mix the soaked dhal, cucumber, salt, grated coconut and coriander leaves. Add freshly squeezed lime juice. To make the garnish, heat up a teaspoon of ghee in a saucepan. After the ghee gets warm, add the cumin seeds. When it starts spluttering, remove from the fire and add green chilies. Mix everything and serve.Variations: Add carrot scrapings or finely chopped tomatoes or substitute chopped mangoes for lime. This can also be prepared without the dhal or only with the dhal.

Panakam (Lime juice)Ingredients:6 limes 12 cups of water 1 1/2 cups sugar A pinch of saffron soaked in hot water (2 teaspoons) 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom powder Method: Squeeze the limes and mix all the ingredients. Add ice, if required, and serve.Note: Another popular juice is made with the pulp of a fruit that is only available in India, with jaggery or gud. A similar tasting juice can be made in the US by mixing apple juice with cardamom powder

Tenkol (Thenkuzhal)By Prema JayaramIngredients: (30 pieces)2 Cups Rice Flour1 ½ Cups Urad Flour100 gms Butter1 Tsp. JeeraSalt as per tasteMethod:Mix all the ingredients in a big vessel. Pour water gradually into it and knead the dough till it is soft (Poori dough). In a deep fry pan, pour 4 cups of oil and warm it. Using a tenkol press (warl), press the dough and make tenkol shapes (coiled) and deep fry it until crisp.

Mysore PakBy Prema Jayaram

Ingredients: (25 pieces)1 Cup Gram Flour (Basin)

2 Cups Sugar 2 Cups GheeMethod:Boil 1cup of water with sugar till it thickens to a syrup. Add 1 cup of ghee to it and continue stirring. Later add the basin gradually to the mix and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Add the remaining ghee to it gradually and keep stirring till you see pores in it. Then, pour the hot mixture in a ghee greased pan and cut them into pieces while it is warm.

1. Spinach karamadhu: Cook spinach in water. Season red chilies, urad dhal (ulaththam paruppu) and channa dhal (kadalai paruppu). Add salt to taste.

2. 2. Nellikai Pachchidi (raitha):Grind fresh gooseberry and mix in yogurt. Season as above. Add salt to taste. (Substitute powder if fresh nellikai is not available).

3. Fried Sunadakkai: Store dry sundakkai packets obtained from India. Deep-fry a handful of nuggets in oil. Use a portion for direct consumption and the balance for mOrekozhambu.

4. More-kozhambu (for 4): Soak two tablespoons each of thoor dhal and channa dhal in water for two hours. Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Roast two tablespoons of dhaniya (coriander seeds), two red chilies, four chopped green chilies, a tablespoon of cumin (seera), a teaspoon of menthya. Add a pinch of hingu (asafetida) and turmeric powder. Drain the water from the soaked dhals and mix with the ingredients while hot. When the ingredients attain room temperature, grind with coconut (optional). Add to precooked cucumber pieces and cook till the solution starts boiling. Cool to luke warm temperature and add buttermilk. Season as above and garnish with coriander leaves. Just before serving, add a few fried sundakkai pieces.

(Ash Pumpkin, Green Pepper, Okra, Seemai Kattharikkai may be used while preparing the above item)

5. Thiru Kannan Amudhu: Make any one of the following paayasa. Whole milk is recommended for taste. However, low fat milk may be used if preferred.a). Badami Paal (Almond Milk): soak almonds in warm water, remove skin, grind with milk. Heat in a pan till the liquid boils. Add milk, sugar and saffron. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins.b). Rava Paayasa: Warm the rava (cream of wheat) in a saucepan and cook in water. Add milk, sugar and saffron. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins.c). SEmiyaa (rice vermicelli) Paayasa: Cook rice sticks in water till soft. Add milk, sugar and saffron. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins. d). Rice Keer: Cook long grain rice in a pan. Add milk, sugar and saffron. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins. Note: The above are few of the items prepared on Dwadasi, the day after Ekadasi, to break the long fasting. For more details, refer to the article on “Ekadasi and Dwadasi.“

Pulippu KootuIngredients: 1/2 cup thoor dhal 1 teaspoon turmeric powder Cut Vegetable (green beans, choate squash, cabbage, cauliflower) 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil 6 Red Chillies 2 tablespoons urud dhal 1/2 teaspoons pepper 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) Grated Cocoanut (optional) Salt to taste Tamarind (concentrated or fresh) Garnish: 1 Teas spoon Mustard Seeds Asafetida (perungayam or hing) Curry leaves (karivepillai) Method: Cook thoor dhal with 1 teaspoon turmeric added to it either in a pressure cooker or in a rice cooker. Dry roast to brown color in a pan using 1 tablespoon oil the urad dhal and red chillies. While hot, add ½ teaspoon black pepper and a pinch of asafetida. Grind the cooled ingredients to a paste with or without cocoanut. In a separate vessel, cook the vegetable of choice. Add salt to taste. Add the ground paste and cook in low heat till the contents start boiling. Add the cooked dhal. Add 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste. Heat the vessel till contents boil. Add additional salt to taste. To make the garnish, heat up a teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. After the oil gets warm, add the mustard seeds. After the seeds stop popping, turn off the heat, add a pinch of asafetida and add curry leaves. Add the garnish to the vessel. Mix well.

Porichcha kootu

Ingredients: 1/2 cup moong dhal I teaspoon turmeric powder Cut Vegetable (green beans, choate squash, cabbage, cauliflower)

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil Red Chillies 2 tablespoons urud dhal 1/2 teaspoons pepper 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera) Grated Cocoanut (optional)Salt to taste Garnish: 1 Teas spoon Mustard Seeds Asafetida (perungayam or hing) Curry leaves (karivepillai) Method: Cook moong dhal with 1 teaspoon turmeric added to it either in a pressure cooker or in a rice cooker. Dry roast to brown color in a pan using 1 tablespoon oil the urad dhal and red chillies. While hot, add ½ teaspoon black pepper and a pinch of asafetida. Grind the cooled ingredients to a paste with or without cocoanut. In a separate vessel, cook the vegetable of choice. Add salt to taste. Add the ground paste and cook in low heat till the contents start boiling. Add the cooked dhal. Heat (low heat) the vessel till contents boil. Add additional salt to taste. To make the garnish, heat up a teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. After the oil gets warm, add the mustard seeds. After the seeds stop popping, turn off the heat, add a pinch of asafetida and add curry leaves. Add the garnish. Mix well. Note: Tamarind is NOT used with cooked moong dhal

Seera Kootu

Ingredients: 1/2 cup thoor dhal 1 teaspoon turmeric powder Cut Vegetable (green beans, choate squash) 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil 6 Green Chillies (jalapeno) 1 tablespoon cumin seeds (jeera) Grated Cocoanut (optional) Salt to taste Garnish: 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds Asafetida (perungayam or hing) Curry leaves (karivepillai) Method: Cook thoor dhal with 1 teaspoon turmeric added to it either in a pressure cooker or in a rice cooker. Grind the green chillies and cumin to a paste with or without cocoanut. In a separate vessel, cook the vegetable of choice. Add salt to taste. Add the ground paste and cook in low heat till the contents start boiling. Add the cooked dhal. Heat the vessel till contents boil. Add additional salt to taste. Prepare and add the garnish to the vessel. Mix well. Serve hot with cooked white rice.

Chikki by Pushpa Ravindra, New Jersey Ingredients: 1 Cup of Roasted and Crushed Peanuts1 Cup of SugarLightly grease a cookie sheet and a rolling pin with a cooking spray. In a thick bottom dry pan put the sugar for melting. Keep stirring the sugar until it becomes brown liquid. Remove from the heat add the crushed peanuts, mix well and pour it on to the cookie sheet. Spread the mixture

thinly with the rolling pin and cut immediately before it hardens. After about 5 minuets remove them from the sheet and let them cool for about an hour. Store them in an airtight container.

Nalagiri (Kozhambu) Karnataka Style by Pushpa Ravindra, New Jersey Ingredients:1½ cup(s) thoor dhal2 cup(s) of mixed vegetables chopped (potatoes, eggplant and beans)1 Medium lemon size ball of tamarind or 2 teaspoons tamarind paste1 tablespoon(s) oilKara paste 2 tablespoons Channa dhal2 tablespoons Urad dhal3 tablespoons Coriander seeds3 tablespoons grated Coconut6 dry red Chillies or to taste2" cinnamon stick (optional)Garnish: 1 teaspoon mustard seeds6 curry leaves½ teaspoon(s) each of AsafoetidaMethod: Cook thoor dhal with 1 teaspoon turmeric added to it either in a pressure cooker or in a rice cooker. Dry roast to brown color in a pan using 1 tablespoon oil the channa, urad dhal and coriander seeds. With quarter teaspoon of oil roast red Chillies. Let all the roasted ingredients cool. Grind Coconut and rest of the roasted ingredients to paste. While hot, add ½ teaspoon black pepper and a pinch of asafetida. In a separate vessel, cook the vegetable of choice. Add salt to taste. Add the ground paste and cook in low heat till the contents start boiling. Add the cooked dhal. Add the tamarind paste and curry leaves. Heat the vessel till contents boil. Add additional salt to taste. To make the garnish, heat up a teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. After the oil gets warm, add the mustard seeds. After the seeds stop popping, turn off the heat, add a pinch of asafetida and add curry leaves. Add the garnish to the vessel. Mix well.

Hebbar Iyengar Kozhambu ( pachai kootu) By Nagu Satyan Ingredients: 1/2 cup thoor dhalI teaspoon turmeric powderCut Vegetable (green beans, choate squash, cabbage, cauliflower)8 to 10 Red Chillies3 tablespoons coriander seeds1 tablespoon mustard seedsGrated Cocoanut (optional)Salt to tasteGarnish:1 Teaspoon vegetable oil1 Teaspoon mustard seedsAsafetida (perungayam or hing)Curry leaves (karivepillai) Method: Cook thoor dhal with 1 teaspoon turmeric added to it either in a pressure cooker or in a rice cooker. Add raw coriander seeds, mustard seeds, red chillies and cocoanut to the blender. Grind the raw ingredients to a paste. In a separate vessel, cook the vegetable of choice. Add

salt to taste. Add the ground paste and cook in low heat till the contents start boiling. Add the cooked dhal. Heat (low heat) the vessel till contents boil. Add additional salt to taste. To make the garnish, heat up a teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. After the oil gets warm, add the mustard seeds. After the seeds stop popping, turn off the heat, add a pinch of asafetida and add curry leaves. Add the garnish. Mix well. Inji (ginger) Pachchidi (raitha) By Nagu Satyan Ingredients: Peeled and Chopped Ginger6 Red ChilliesGrated Cocoanut (optional)Salt to tasteGarnish:1 Teaspoon vegetable oil1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds1 Teaspoon Urad DhalAsafetida (perungayam or hing)Curry leaves (karivepillai)Method: Grind the chopped ginger, cocoanut and dry roasted red chillies to a paste. Add the paste to a bowl. Add salt to taste. Add yogurt to paste and mix well. To make the garnish, heat up a teaspoon of oil in a saucepan. After the oil gets warm, add the mustard seeds. After the seeds stop popping, add the urad dhal. After the dhal becomes brown, turn off the heat, add a pinch of asafetida and add curry leaves. Add the garnish to the vessel. Mix well. Alternatively, the red chillies can be dry roasted with urad dhal as part of the garnish and added to the ground paste.