Friday, 11 December 2015

Togari bele chutney (Toor dal chutney)

Togari bele chutney (Toor dal chutney)

 
 
 
Togari bele chutney is a delicious side dish which goes very well with rice,dosa and idly.
 
Preparation time : 10 minutes (serves 4) 
 
Ingredients:
  • Togari bele/Toor dal - 2 tablespoons
  • Dry red chillies - 8 to 10 (a liitle less if you want it less spicy)
  • Asafoetida/Hing - 1 pinch
  • Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
  • Coconut (grated) - 1 cup
  • Tamarind paste - 1 tablespoon
  • curry leaves - 1 string
  • salt to taste
  • sugar - 1 pinch
  • For seasoning - 2 teaspoons of oil, 1/4 spoon mustard, 1/4 spoon urad dal and a few curry leaves.
 
Method :
 
  1.  In a kadai fry togari bele (toor dal), red chillies and hing with a few drops of oil. When the dal turns golden brown, take off from heat and transfer to the mixie jar.
  2. Then add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and just saute till the fenugreek seeds change colour and add this to the mixie jar.
  3. Once the mixture has cooled, add salt, sugar,tamarind paste and grind (Add coconut later as the dal needs to be ground to a coarse powder before adding coconut). When this is sufficiently ground well, add coconut and grind.
  4. Finally for the seasoning, heat a spoon of oil in the kadai, to this add mustard seeds. once it starts spluttering add urad dal. Wait till it becomes golden brown and add curry leaves and garnish the chutney !!
 

Thursday, 10 December 2015

BESAN LADDOO

BESAN LADOO

 
 

Besan laddoo prepared using butter

 
 

Besan laddoo is a popular Indian sweet dish made of Besan (chickpea flour or gram flour), sugar and ghee. It is a simple and easy sweet to prepare and can be stored for 2 to 3 days if kept in an airtight container.This recipe makes around 15 laddoos.
 
 
Ingredients:

  • Besan/gram flour - 1.5 cups
  • Sugar (fine powdered) - 3/4 cup
  • Cardamom - 4 to 5
  • Cashews (broken) -  few pieces
  • Unsalted butter (melted) - 3/4 cup
  • Ghee - 2 spoons (if needed)
  • Salt - 1 pinch
 
Method:
 
  1. Grind sugar and cardamom to make a fine powder and keep aside.
  2. In a thick bottomed kadai, take a spoon of ghee and fry the cashews till they turn golden brown and keep aside.
  3. Then add some unsalted melted butter to the kadai and immediately add besan and start frying it until the besan turns a little brown in colour and gets a nice fragrance. This takes around 10 to 12 minutes and then bring it off from the heat.
  4. To this add powered sugar and cardamom and the fried cashews and a pinch of salt (to enchance the sweet flavour) and mix well.
  5. Once the mixture is cooled down a little (it must be just warm enough to make laddoos), start making laddoos. you can add a teaspoon of ghee if the mixture seems dry. But try making the first laddoo before adding that extra spoon of ghee as you'll know the texture only when  youbstart  making the laddoo as excess ghee/butter sticks onto your hand while rolling the laddoo.
  6. Annnnnnd its ready to serve !!! Delicious and yummy !