April 2018

12 Apr

Posted at 13:13h in Breakfast, Main Course, Tamil Nadu by
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Kumbakonam Kadappa, as the name suggests, originated from Kumbakonam / Tanjore regions of Tamil Nadu, South India. It uses Mung dal, potatoes, coconut and some spices that makes it very flavourful and a popular dish. It’s a cross between Sambhar and Kurma. A hot favourite dish in restaurants in Kumbakonam and Tanjore even today that is served with morning breakfast of steaming Idli, Dosa, Puri, Pongal, Paratha, Roti….you name it.  Some recipes use tomatoes, some do not. Its however left to you completely. Traditional method for Kumbakonam Kadappa cooks potatoes separately, mash & add it to cooked dal. I have however tweaked it a little and used grated raw potatoes. Kumbakonam Kadappa

10 Apr

Posted at 16:55h in Agar Agar by
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Agar Agar & Gelatin are two ingredients for making dishes that need to be gelled. Gelatin is a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones with water. It is usually obtained from cows or pigs.
  • Agar is produced from red algae / assortment of seaweed vegetation. And so is a vegetarian option that is used to gel puddings, desserts, jelly candy and more.
  • In Indian cuisine, it is known as "China grass" and is used for making desserts.
  • it is available in 2 forms: powder or strands that resemble shredded plastic.
Agar was discovered by an inn keeper in Japan in 1600’s. He had to make seaweed jelly noodles to serve some special guests. Unfortunately there was a lot of leftover. When he woke up next day, he was surprised to find they had dried up into a paper like substance. And so was developed Agar. Hence we can call it an accidental discovery like Archimedes theory of displacement. ?  
  • Agar Agar
  • Powdered variety is the easiest to use, easily available in the market but more expensive. Strands are cheaper. But you cannot measure them in spoons.
  • Best is to buy strands at a cheaper rate, cut them into 1 inch pieces with scissors and powder in a spice grinder. The result is a flaky powder (not a fine powder), that can easily be measured with spoons. Store in an air-tight container and use when needed.

06 Apr

Posted at 11:08h in Baked, Kerala, Snacks by
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These Puttu Podi Cookies are made with Chemba Puttu Podi. Chemba puttu podi is prepared from Red rice. Red rice is usually unhulled or partially hulled and so has high nutritional value. Puttu is a famous dish in Kerala and Tamil Nadu regions of South India....

Welcome to my blog

 

February 10th is celebrated as World Pulses Day. I am an avid fan of whole pulses / lentils. When I took a review of my posts so far, I realised I have as of today posted 22 recipes using whole pulses & legumes. I decided to compile all those recipes and make an eBook that you can download from my site.

 

Healthy Eating ?

Rama Ganapathy