Panakam

Sri Rama Navami is when Sri Ram and Sita got married and every year on Sri Ram Navami their Kalyanam is performed very grandly in all the temples all over India. In Badrachalam Rama Mandiram, people gather from far away places to view this Divine Wedding! I have so many childhood memories viewing Sri Ram and Sita Mata Kalyanam and One thing I always remember when ever I talk about SriRam Navami is Panakam and also annual exams:-)
Panakam is a very different drink with both sweet and spicy tastes. That is the specialty of this yummy drink.


In the picture, Panakam served with Utappam


Ingredients for Panakam:-
Grated Jaggery(Gud)- 3 Tbsp
White pepper powder- 3/4 Tsp
Water-2 1/2 cups


procedure:-
In a bowl, mix grated Jaggery and white pepper. Then add water and stir until melted. Strain and serve. Tastes good chilled.
Serves 2 to 3 people.

Happy Ugadi!

Ugadi is the Telugu New Year and traditionally the day is started by eating Ugadi Pachadi. Ugadi Pachadi is a mixture of all six tastes Sweet, Salt, hot, Soar, bitter and the final one astringent(Vagaru) taste. It is said that we start the year with all the six tastes which symbolizes that life is not only always filled with happiness but sometimes there might also be tough times and we should muster courage for those tough times!

Happy Ugadi everyone! Have a great New Year!




Ingredients you need to make Ugadi Pachadi:-
Tamarind Pulp- one lime size
Banana- one(which is partially green for Vagaru Taste)
Gud(bellam)- 1 Tbsp grated
Raw Mango pieces- 2 Tbsp(chopped along with skin)
Neem blooms(Vepa poota)- 1 Tsp
Salt- one pinch
Chilli powder- one pinch
Roasted split Chickpeas(Dalia)- 1 Tbsp(vepina Senagapoppu)

Procedure:-
Soak the tamarind pulp by adding 1/3 cup of water for 15 minutes. Using a hand, squeese the tamarind and strain. Mash a banana and add to the strained tamarind pulp. Now add grated Gud(bellam) and mix until the Gud melts completely. Now add mango pieces, roasted split Chickpeas, salt, chilli powder and Neem blooms. Mix everything well and serve.

For some people one spoonful is a lot but I love this Pachadi, I can eat a whole cup. It's my favorite once a year feast! I store in Fridge and eat it the next day also. I want to thank my Cousin C for giving me Neem blooms this year with out which this pachadi will never be complete. Thank you C!

Mango Pulihora (Mango Rice)

Mango gives a unique twist to this Pulihora. If you like the tangy taste of Mango then you are sure to like this Mango Pulihora. Mango is my husband's favorite and he likes anything with raw mango in it. So, yesterday I made this for dinner.



Ingredients:-

For cooking rice:-
Rice uncooked- 3 cups
Turmeric- 1/4 Tsp
Oil- 1 Tsp
Water- 5 3/4 cups

For Tadka (Seasoning):-
Oil- 3 Tbsp
Whole red chillies- 3
Peanuts- 1 to 2 Tbsp
Channa dal- 1 Tbsp
Urad dal- 1 Tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 Tsp
Cumin- 1/4 Tsp
Turmeric- 1 pinch
Ginger- 1 inch piece (chopped into tiny pieces)
Green chillies- 6
Curry leaves- 1 spring
Raw Mango- 1 large (2 cups grated)
Salt- To taste

Procedure:-
1. To a rice cooker add washed rice, water, turmeric and salt. Cook the rice and let it cool-down for a couple of hours. If you are in a rush, you can spread out the rice in a tray or any big plate so that the rice cools down quickly.

2. To a hot pan, add oil and red chillies and fry for a minute. Then add Peanuts, Channa dal, urad dal, mustard and cumin. Let the nuts fry till golden brown. Now add ginger and sliced green chillies. Fry them for a minute and add curry leaves and grated mango. Add salt and fry the grated mango for 2 minutes. Now mix rice to this tadka well until the flavors are incorporated.

Serve it at room temperature. Mango Pulihora tastes even good the next day.

A quick tip for grating mango- First peel the mango then start grating it from all sides until you reach the pit.


While I was writing my post, our pet bunny Dhivy was comfortably napping in one of the dining chairs lazily for almost an hour. It is her favorite spot these days and won't even come down for a treat! She is such a cutie!

Nimmakaya Pulihora (Lemon Rice)

For holi, I made Nimmakaya Pulihora (Lemon Rice) and Bread Halwa. I made these super easy dishes which are very classic and traditional for festivals. These dishes are super easy and very time saving so, I can enjoy the festival with my family and friends instead of sitting in kitchen cooking all day! So, the Holi fun begins with these



Ingredients:-
For cooking rice:-
Rice (uncooked)- 3 cups (I used basmati but you can also use Sona masori)
Water- 6 cups
Oil- 1 Tsp
Turmeric- 1/2 Tsp

For Tadka (seasoning):-
Oil- 4 Tbsp
Asafoetida- 1 pinch
Whole red chilli- 3
Mustard seeds- 1/4 Tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/4 Tsp
Channa dal- 2 Tbsp
Urad dal- 1 Tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1 pinch
Ginger- 1 inch(chopped or grated fine)
Green chillies- 6
Curry leaves- 1 spring
Peanuts- 1/3 cup
Cashews- 1/3 cup
Lime or lemon juice- 1 cup
salt- to taste

Procedure:-
1. Start by adding rice, water, oil and turmeric to the rice cooker. Cook the rice and let it cool down. You might want to tranfer the rice into a tray to cool down if you are in a hurry.

2. Squeeze the juice out of the limes and add salt, mix and keep it aside.

3. In a pan add the 4 Tbsp oil and turn the heat on. Add the red chillies which are broken into pieces. Let them fry for a minute. Then add asafoetida,mustard seeds, cumin seeds, channa dal, urad dal, turmeric, peanuts, cashews and let the dal fry. Once the nuts and dal get light golden brown, add ginger and green chillies (which are slit length wise). Fry green chillies for a minute and add curry leaves at the very end and turn the heat off.

4. Now add the Tadka to rice. Also add the lemon juice. Mix every thing well and serve.

Chakara Pongali (Sweet Pongali) made easy!

Chakara Pongali (Sweet Pongali) is a classic dish which is usually made on very special occasions in our family. But yesterday I was craving to eat it so much. I have a very sweet tooth, more than anyone in my home:-). So, sometimes in order to satisfy my cravings,I go a little extra mile even on weekdays. But I don't want to over eat. So, I made just the right amount not too much or not too less! Yes of couse you can eat sweets sometimes and still stay healthy and fit! The key is eating in moderation! Now for the recipe




Ingredients:-
Rice- 1/2 cup (I used basmati)
Moong Dal- 1/4 cup
Water- 1 1/2 cups

For the sugar syrup
Sugar- 1 cup (you can increase or decrease according to taste)
Water- 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder- 1/4 Tsp

For seasoning
Pure ghee- 3 Tbsp
Coconut- 1 1/2 Tbsp grated (if using coconut pieces use 1/4 cup)
Cashews- 10
Raisins- 1 Tbsp

Procedure:-
1. First start by pressure cooking the rice and moong dal adding 1 1/2 cups of water. When the first whistle comes, reduce the heat to lowest heat setting and keep the timer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat after 5 minutes.

2. For the sugar syrup, add the sugar in a sauce pan add the 1/4 cup water. Now turn the heat on while stirring to melt all the sugar. When the sugar is melted, turn the heat up a little bit and add the cardamom powder,and wait until you get just the first boil. At this time the sugar syrup seems to be getting clear. Turn the heat off and pour the syrup in the rice mixture. Put the heat on medium for the rice syrup. Now you need to stir it continuously until the consistency of the rice mixture thickens. When you think it is thick enough, add 1 Tbsp ghee.

3. To a separate pan, add the remaining 2 Tbsp ghee and turn the heat on. Once the ghee starts melting, add the cashews and raisins and fry them. Once fried, keep them aside. Now add the coconut and fry for a minute or two. Add the fried coconut along with ghee to the rice. Also add the fried cashews and raisins and serve hot.

Serves 4 if eating in moderation or else serves 2.

Tip- The traditional recipe calls for more sugar and ghee but I wanted to cut down on fat and calories.

Kheer ( Paravannam )

Welcome to my blog and enjoy my very first recipe, a sweet dish! I wanted to start the blog traditionally by posting a sweet dish first. When thinking about sweet dishes, I think Paravannam has a very special place in lots of our hearts. Rice is cooked in milk until custard like consistency is attained. It is then sweetened and also some cashews and raisins which are fried in pure ghee are added along with ghee. The end result is a mouth watering divinely good Paravannam (as we call in Telugu).
Hope you will all try and enjoy my very first dish!


Paravannam Recipe
Ingredients
uncooked long grain Rice- 1 cup
Sabudana(sago)- 1/4 cup
milk- 4 cups
Jaggery(bellam)- 1 cup (cut into very small pieces and packed tightly to make 1 cup)
Cardamom powder(elichi powder)- 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts- 15 nos
Raisins- 15 nos
Pure Ghee- 2 tbsp
Water- 2cups

First we start by washing the rice and sabudana. Now add rice and sabudana to a sauce pan and add 2 cups of water. Let the rice mixture cook on medium heat stirring occasionally to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom. When the rice is about half done, add milk. Now add Cardamom powder and let the milk boil. Once the milk is boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
To a separate pan, add ghee and when it starts melting, add raisins and cashews. Fry untill cashews get light brown color. Turn the heat off and now add the cashew and raisin mixture along with the ghee in the simmering milk and rice mixture. Turn the heat off the Kheer now. As you must have noticed where is the sweet in the Kheer?
We are going to add it in 5 minutes to make sure the Jaggery doesn't cuddle the milk. This is important otherwise all your hard work may go in vain. After 5 minutes, we add the jaggery that we cut into tiny bits to the kheer and mix it untill it gets melted. Now your yummy Paravannam is ready to eat! So, sit down and enjoy!

Tip: I like to use Jaggery in this dish because it gives very good flavor and color to the dish. Jaggery can be substituted with sugar instead if you like it.