Rava Laddu recipe / Suji Laddu

Festive season has already started!!! Celebrate the joyous occasion by treating your family and guest with irresistible dessert that excites the taste-buds.
Try this super easy Rava / Semolina Laddu which is prepared within 20 minutes. Easy and super quick sweet.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rava / Semolina
1/4 cup Desiccated Coconut
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Ghee
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
Few Raisins and Cashew nuts

Method:

• Take a sauce pan add water and sugar over medium flame.
• Meanwhile, heat a pan or kadai, add ghee, raisins and cashews. Fry until raisins puff up.
• Lower the flame and add Rava  into the same pan. Roast until the aroma starts coming.
• Add Desiccated coconut and mix well.
• Check the sugar syrup in between, add cardamom powder and mix well.
• Cook until light one string consistency is formed. Do not boil for long.
• To check the one string consistency, Take some sugar syrup in between you thumb and index finger, pull them apart light one string should form.
• Pour the sugar syrup into the rava mixture slowly and stir continuously to avoid lumps.
• Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool until warm enough to handle.
• Do not let it cool down completely as the sugar will get crystallized and  won't get the desired shape.
• Shape them into balls with the help of your palm.
• Serve or store them in an air tight container.

Pictorial:

Take a sauce pan add water and sugar over medium flame.

Meanwhile, heat a pan or kadai, add ghee, raisins and cashews. Fry until raisins puff up.

Lower the flame and add Rava  into the same pan. Roast until the aroma starts coming. Add Desiccated coconut and mix well.

Check the sugar syrup in between, add cardamom powder and mix well. Cook until light one string consistency is formed. Do not boil for long. To check the one string consistency, Take some sugar syrup in between you thumb and index finger, pull them apart light one string should form. Pour the sugar syrup into the rava mixture slowly and stir continuously to avoid lumps.

Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool until warm enough to handle. Do not let it cool down completely as the sugar will get crystallized and  won't get the desired shape.

Shape them into balls with the help of your palm.

 Rava Laddu is ready to serve or store them in an air tight container.

Puri for Pani Puri / Golgappa recipe

 How to make perfect Puri for Pani Puri?? Well here it is...!! Chaat a very popular street food. This savory goodness is tangy, sweet and spicy. It's very easy and healthy too as we know what ingredients have been used with fresh oil and no additive.This basic ingredients (Puri) can be used for many chaat recipes like Dahi puri, Potato puri, sev puri etc. Pani puri is one of my all time favorite chaat, specially when the sweet and spicy water burst into mouth.

There are two ways to make Puri for Pani puri - Wheat flour or Maida. Methods are same.
To be honest the Maida or APF version is more crunchy than the Wheat one. It taste same which we get on street stalls in India.

Ingredients:

1 cup Semolina / Sooji
1/4 cup All purpose flour / maida or Wheat flour
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Water
Oil for frying

Method:

• In a mixing bowl add all the above ingredients except water. 
• Mix everything together.
• Add water little at a time, as semolina absorbs water.
• Keep kneading / mixing until all the semolina granules soften.
• Knead and make a stiff dough.
• Cover it with a damp cloth and rest it for 20-25 minutes.
• After resting the dough, knead it once again.
• Take a rolling board and pin, grease it with some oil so that the dough doesn't stick.
• Take a small portion and roll it into a round shape. Do not roll to thick or too thin.
• Make a small round shape with the help of cutter or lid. Make sure to cover the dough and the rolled puri's with a damp cloth.
• Heat oil for deep frying, oil should be on medium flame.
• Slide one puri after another gently into the oil. Press each puri with spatula to puff.
• Fry them both side until it turns golden brown.
• Place them on a paper towel and can also be stored them in an air tight container once it cools down.

Pictorial:

In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients except water. Mix everything together. Add water little at a time, as semolina absorbs water.

Knead and make a stiff dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and rest it for 20-25 minutes. After resting the dough, knead it once again.

Take a rolling board and pin, grease it with some oil so that the dough doesn't stick.Take a small portion and roll it into a round shape.Make a small round shape with the help of cutter or lid.

Do not roll to thick or too thin. If it's too thin puri won't puff while frying and if it's thick it will not turn crisp.

      Make sure to cover the dough and all the rolled puri's with a damp cloth.

Heat oil for deep frying, oil should be on medium heat. Slide one puri after another gently into the oil. Press each puri with spatula to puff. Fry them both side until it turns golden brown. Place them on a paper towel and can also be stored them in an air tight container once it cools down.

Notes:

1. Process of kneading is very important.
2. Instead of baking soda,carbonated water/ soda water can be used.
3. Cover the dough and rolled puri's in a damp cloth.
4. Flame should be on medium.

Pani for Pani Puri / Golgappa recipe

This popular street food doesn't need any introduction, it's everyone's favorite and most popular selling street food. It can easily be prepared at home. Pani means water and Puri means fried crisp puffed balls. Preparing Pani at home is not only a healthier way of enjoying but also allows you to customize it the way you like it. Puri drenched in sour n spicy mint flavored water and to make it little tangy and sweet dates n tamarind chutney is used, fillings depends upon person to person. Do try this at home it taste Yummy!!!

Ingredients:

For Spicy Pani ( Green Pani)

1/2 cup Coriander leaves/ dhaniya patta (chopped)
Handful of Mint leaves / Pudina patta (chopped)
2-3 Green chilies / Hari mirch
1 tsp dry ginger powder
1 -2 tsp roasted cumin powder ( bhuna jeera )
1 tsp Chat masala powder
Salt to taste
Water
1 tblsp Boondi (salty)

For Sweet Chutney or Pani

4-5 Dates
1 tblsp jaggery
1 tblsp of tamarind
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
Water


Method : ( Prepare spicy and sweet chutney separately)
For Spicy Pani

• In a blender add all the ingredients mentioned above for spicy pani except boondi
• Add little water and grind to a fine paste or chutney
• For Green or Spicy chutney remove the chutney in a bowl and add 2-3 cups of water and check the taste, add more jeera powder, chat masala or salt required.
• You can adjust the consistency of thickness by adding more or less water.
• Add bondi on top and mix well.
• Keep the Spicy or green pani in the fridge or add ice cubes before serving.

For Sweet Pani

• In a sauce pan add water, dates, jaggery and tamarind and bring it to a boil.
• Mash them in between and let it cool down.
• In a strainer, strain out all the juice.
• Add salt, cumin powder and mix well.
• Sweet pani  is ready.

For Filling:

• Boil 1 potato in a pressure cooker.
• Peel the skin and chop them.
• In a bowl add chopped potato, chopped onions, salt , pinch of red chilli powder and chat masala. Mix and keep it aside.

For Assembling:

• Take one puri, gently make a hole in the middle with a spoon or thumb.
• Stuff the potato filling and some sev ( optional).
• Add little sweet chutney and then dip/add green pani and serve immediately.

Banana (Plantain) chips / Ethakka upperi

Who doesn't like to munch on snack?? I always thought it's too complicated and time consuming to make this and never thought i could make this banana chips at home, even though i have seen my Mother make this several times, especially during Onam and  summer school break. It's a very popular snack in Kerala.

These are made with both ripe and unripe bananas, thinly sliced and deep fried in coconut oil with some sprinkled salt. Nowadays, you find different flavors in store like the spicy ones with red chilli or black pepper powder. Easy and simple to make.

Ingredients:

2 Raw Bananas
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Take a bowl add some water and little turmeric powder and keep it aside.
• Apply some oil on your palm so that your hands doesn't get sticky.
• Take raw plantain, you can also use ripe one but the chips will taste little sweet.
• Take one plantain give a straight slit on the skin this helps to peel the banana easily.
• Once you peel the outer skin, immerse the plantain into the turmeric water for 10-15 minutes. This will remove the stickiness and has no color adding value.
• Take the plantain out of the water and pat them dry.
• Slice them into thin round pieces, you can use knife or slicer and dry them onto kitchen towel.
• Take a small bowl with little water and add salt and turmeric powder into it and keep it aside. Turmeric powder is added to give color to the chips, even though i didn't see much difference as my Mother never added turmeric mixture. She used to sprinkle salt after taking it out from the flame when the chips are hot.
• Heat oil in a deep and wide pan on medium heat ( coconut oil or any oil of your choice).
• Slide the sliced bananas into the oil without overcrowding them. Occasionally stir and flip them, after few minutes while flipping you will hear crackling sound.
• Add 1 tsp of salt mixture to the chips. Be careful while adding this since oil bubbles up a lot. Do not panic bubbling sound will settle down on it's own.
• Cook for second or so and start taking it out with slotted spoon. Drain it out onto the kitchen towel.
• Follow the same steps with the remaining batches.

Pictorial:

Take a bowl add some water and little turmeric powder and keep it aside.

Apply some oil on your palm so that your hands doesn't get sticky.

Take raw plantain, you can also use ripe one but the chips will taste little sweet.Take one plantain give a straight slit on the skin this helps to peel the banana easily.

                             Open with your thumb and remove all the outer skin.

Once you peel the outer skin, immerse the plantain into the turmeric water for 10-15 minutes. This will remove the stickiness and has no color adding value.

Take the plantain out of the water and pat them dry. Slice them into thin round pieces, you can use knife or slicer and dry them onto kitchen towel.

Slide the sliced bananas into the oil without overcrowding them. Occasionally stir and flip them, after few minutes while flipping you will hear crackling sound.

Add 1 tsp of salt mixture to the chips. Be careful while adding this since oil bubbles up a lot. Do not panic, bubbling sound will settle down on it's own.

Cook for second or so and start taking it out with slotted spoon. Drain it out onto kitchen towel. Follow the same steps with the remaining batches.

Notes:

1. You can use any oil for frying but for authentic taste use coconut oil.
2. Banana chips should be very thin and should be separated while adding to the oil or else it will clump together and will be under cooked. 
3. If you are frying several batches, do a taste test in between to see the salt level as oil already has salt from the earlier batch.

Pazham Pori / Banana Fitters / Ethakka Appam recipe

Pazham pori or Banana Fitters is made of ripe Plantains which is highly nutritious. It has been the common street item and popular snack of Keralites.

This Plantain slices are dipped in sweetened flour and then deep fried. Tasty and very easy to make soft from inside and crispy from outside. It's usually relished with hot cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

1 large Ripened Banana ( Plantain)
1/2 cup All purpose flour / Maida
2 tbsp Rice flour
Pinch of turmeric powder
Sugar ( add according to the sweetness of banana)
Pinch of salt
Water / Milk
Oil for frying

Method:

• Take a Banana, peel the skin and cut them into half. Take one half portion and slices it lengthwise (4-5 pieces). Same with the other half.
• Take  a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the oil. Mix everything together and add water little at a time and make it into a smooth batter.
• Batter should be lumps free and not be very thick or to runny. It should coat the banana slices.
• Now heat some oil in a kadai on medium heat.
• Take one slice of banana dip it into the batter, coat very well and fry them from both sides till they turn slight golden. Repeat this with all the slices.
• Serve it hot with steaming tea or coffee.

Pictorial:

Take a Banana, peel the skin and cut them into half. 

Take one half portion and slices it lengthwise (4-5 pieces). Same with the other half.

Take  a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except the oil. Mix everything together and add water little at a time and make it into a smooth semi thick batter.

Batter should be lumps free and not be very thick or to runny. It should coat the banana slices.

Take one slice of banana dip it into the batter, coat very well and fry them from sides till they turn slight golden. Repeat this with all the slices

Serve it hot with steaming tea or coffee.