Kambu is known as pearl millet in English and Bajra in Hindi. For a long time, it has been considered as poor man’s food. But now a days, it is regaining its importance back. Being rich in fiber, it helps for weight loss and keeps your stomach full for longer time.

Make the kambu flour and store it in an air- tight container. Use this flour to make variety of recipes like kambu puttu, kambu idiayappam, kambu dosai and many more tasty recipes.

RELATED RECIPES:

Kambu Idly

Kambu Puttu

Kambu Curd Rice

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Pearl millet

INSTRUCTIONS:

Dry roast kambu/Pearl millet in a wide kadai in medium flame till it starts to splutter and leaves a nice smell (Do it in batches if u want to make in large quantity)

Switch off the flame and allow it to cool. Grind it in a mixie.

Sieve the grounded flour and spread it in a news paper.

Once it is cooled, store it in an air tight container.

Mutton gravy is a popular non veg recipe, which can be prepared in numerous ways and tastes excellent when it is served with hot plain rice or roti.

INGREDIENTS:

500 gms Mutton

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 potato, cubed (optional)

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 tablespoon red chilly powder

2 tablespoons cumin-coriander powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

Whole garam masala (1 bay leaf,1 small piece cinnamon,1 cardamom ,1 clove,1 star anise)

3 tablespoons oil

Water required

Salt required

TO ROAST & GRIND:

1 tablespoon peppercorns

½ tablespoon cumin seeds

2 cloves

2 cardamom

3 garlic clove

1 small piece ginger

2 dry red chilly

Handful of Curry leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a pressure cooker, take cleaned mutton, ginger garlic paste, cumin-coriander powder, red chilly powder, salt. Mix well and add 2 cups of water. Pressure cook it for 3 to 4 whistles or till the mutton cooks well. Set aside

In a kadai, dry roast all the ingredients given under “to roast & grind”. When it cools down, take in a blender and blend it to a coarse powder. Set aside.

Pre heat a pan and add oil. When heated enough, add the whole garam masala. When it starts spluttering, add chopped onion and saute. Cook till it turns translucent. Add in chopped tomatoes and cook it mashes well.

Now add the powdered masala and mix well. Add pressure cooked mutton along with the curry and potato cubes. Mix well and cook it till the gravy becomes thick.

Switch off the flame and serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes:

Mutton in Brunei takes too much time to cook. Sometimes I pressure cook it for 10 to 15 whistles also. But Indian mutton get cooked in 2 or 3 whistles. So please manage to pressure cook the mutton according to its tendency.

If you prepare this gravy to serve with rice, add potatoes and make it as thick gravy type. If you serve this for roti varieties, don’t add potatoes and make the gravy little dry. Remember, it is just a serving suggestion..

Noodles balls or noodles paniyaram is my most favourite and innovative snack recipe which can be prepared in few minutes and definitely a super attractive kids recipe. . . Do try this simple snack for party and I’m sure everyone will love it…

INGREDIENTS:

TO PREPARE NOODLES:

1 to 2 packet noodles

2 onions thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped carrot

¼ cup french beans

3 green chilies finely chopped

½ tablespoon soy sauce

Few coriander leaves

Oil required

TO PREPARE BALLS:

Prepared noodles

2 eggs

½ teaspoon pepper powder

Oil required

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a kadai, add a tablespoon of oil. When heated, add onions, carrot, beans, green chilly and saute till they are cooked well. Add soy sauce  and taste maker given in the noodles packet. Now add in the cooked noodles and mix well. Add coriander leaves, mix well and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, add eggs, pepper powder and salt. Mix well and keep it aside.

Now heat the kuzhi paniyaram pan and add few drops of oil to each kuzhi. Fill each kuzhi with prepared  noodles. Add 2 tablespoons of beaten egg mixture to each kuzhi. Close the pan for 2 min and keep the flame very low.

Flip the balls to another side and cook for a min. Remove from heat and repeat the procedure with remaining noodles.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

NOTES:

Here i have preapared the noodles in my style. But this is purely optional. You can prepare in your own way or according to the instructions given in the package.

RELATED RECIPES:

Bird’s Nest

Filo Pouches

Baby Corn Fingers

Vegetable Puffs

Cauliflower Cutlets 

It is an absolute delicious and cute snack, looks exactly like a bird’s nest. Make this super easy snack in your kid’s party and they would love it definitely.

INGREDIENTS:

1 boiled potato

1 sweet potato (steamed)

1 onion finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

3 to 4 finely chopped green chilly

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

Salt to taste

Oil for deep fry

1 cup vermicelli (semiya)

1 teaspoon corn flour (dissolve in 3 tablespoons water)

FOR DECORATION:

¼ cup boiled peas

Finely chopped coriander leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix corn flour and salt with water and make it as a medium-thick batter. Take vermicelli in a plate. Set both aside.

In a mixing bowl, add steamed sweet potato,  boiled potato. Mix this and mash well. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste, green chilly. Saute for a min and add garam masala, turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Now add salt and mashed vegetables, mix well and cook for 2 min. Remove from heat. Once it is cooled down, divide this mixture into small balls of equal size. Gently press the balls in the middle to give nest like shape. Repeat the procedure for other balls and set aside.

Dip the vegetables balls in corn flour batter and then roll it on vermicelli. Make sure the vermicelli is coated on all the sides of the balls.

Keep this vermicelli coated balls in refrigerator for 20 min to set well..

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the balls until they turn crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Now place a coriander leaf and boiled peas in the middle of fried balls, to make it to appear as bird’s nest.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Beetroot raita is a very easy and healthy raita made using roasted beetroot and indian spices. With the lovely, attractive pinkish,this nutty yogurt recipe is a best accompaniment for pulav rice or use can simply have it on hot noon.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup yogurt (curd)

1 small beetroot  (roasted and grated)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

1 green chilly (finely chopped)

5 cashew nuts (roasted)

½ teaspoon cumin (roasted and powdered)

Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Roast the beetroot till it gives aromatic, smoky flavour. Once the beetroot is cooled, grate it and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, take curd, green chilly, cashews, cumin powder, onion, grated beetroot,salt one by one and mix well.

Set  aside for 5 min for the beetroot to release its essence.

Mix well and serve chilled…

This tasty and delicate filo pouches are perfect addition for Ifthar or any special party events.

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Filo dough, thawed according to package instructions

Oil to grease

FILLING:

½ cup minced chicken

2 potatoes (boiled & mashed)

2 onions finely chopped

2 to 3 green chilies, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

Few curry leaves

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

Salt to taste

Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

TO PREPARE FILLING:

Cut each potatoes into two and pressure cook it for 2 whistles. Switch off and let it cool. Remove the skin and mash the potatoes. Set aside.

Heat a pan and add a tablespoon of oil. Add in chopped onion, green chilly and curry leaves. Saute till the onion turns translucent. Add ginger garlic paste, mix well and cook till the raw smell goes off. Then add chicken, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt and mix well. Close the pan and cook till chicken is cooked well. Switch off the pan and let it cool completely. Then add mashed potato and mix well.

Now filling is ready.

BAKING:

Now pre heat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F. Spray baking trays with oil.

Cut the pastry sheets into squares of 5 cm on each side. Spray one square of pastry with oil and place another on it as shown in pic.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the centre of each square then gather up the corners to form a pouch and squeeze together gently to form a seal. Spray oil outside of purse.

Bake in the pre heated oven for 10 min until golden brown.

Remove from oven and serve warm.

NOTES:

You can replace this filling with any other filling of your choice.

Fillings should be completely cooled when placing on the pastry sheets.

Don’t place too much of filling. Excessive filling will be difficult to enclose with filo.

Mixed fruit sarbath is my most favourite and absolutely delicious, healthy recipe which is very famous in Chennai. During my college days, I would prefer drinking this juice atleast once in a week, on my way back to hostel from college. Thats all a great moment to cherish forever. We can get  this juice in almost all the juice shops in Chennai, kept in huge ice drums. But, in those shops, they mostly use the old and half rotten fruits. So it may cause you any health problems.

Try this recipe in your home with fresh fruits and enjoy..

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup papaya (cut into cubes)

¼ cup apple (thinly sliced)

¼ cup mango (cut into cubes)

¼ cup pomegranate kernels

1 banana medium sized (thinly sliced)

5 to 6 tablespoons Nannari syrup

2 to 3 tablespoons Rosemilk syrup

Juice from 1 lemon

2 small pieces badam pisin (Almond Gum)

Ice water required

INSTRUCTIONS:

Soak the badam pisin pieces in a glass of water, overnight.

In a mixing bowl, add all the fruits given. Mash it well using the backside of  a ladle.

Add the nannari syrup, rosemilk syrup, lemon juice and 3 to 4 tablespoons of badam pisin. Mix well everything.

In a serving glass, take the prepared mixture about half of the glass. Fill the glass with ice water.

Mix well and Serve..

NOTES:

You can also add fruits like Chikku, Pineapple or Jackfruit.

2 to 3 pieces of badam pisin will make one full glass of jelly. So, soak required amount of pisin.

The given ingredients will make 3 to 4 glasses of sarbath.

Pineapple sarbath is a refreshing and delightful juice which can be prepared easily. I made this juice for Ifthar and we really enjoyed a lot. .

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups pineapple chunks

3 cups water

5 to 6 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste)

Juice from one lemon

Few ice cubes

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a non stick pot, take 3 cups water and add sugar to it. Mix well till the sugar dissolves in it.

Then add in the pineapple cubes and lemon juice and mix well.

Heat this mixture till it begins to boil. Once it starts to boil, switch off the flame and let this mixture to cool completely.

After cooling, add this mixture to blender along with few ice cubes and blend it to smooth puree.

Transfer to serving glass and serve chilled..

Soursop, also known as Graviola is a rich, creamy fruit which has the significant amount of Vit C, Vit B1 and Vit B2. In Tamil and Malayalam, this fruit is called as Mullaatha or Mull Seetha, literally ‘thorny custard apple’. This fruit is widely used in making juices, smoothies, candies, sorbets and ice cream flavourings.

I came to know about this fruit very recently, when i surfed internet to find the foods which are good for people suffering from cancer. Many internet sites promotes and advertise this fruit as a cure for cancer. Though, no reputed cancer research organization  supports this, I heard many stories that this fruit cured early stages of cancer.

INGREDIENTS:

1 soursop fruit (medium sized)

2 cups chilled milk

4 tablespoons sugar

Juice from ½ lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut the fruit into two and scoop the pulp out. Remove the seeds.

In a blender, add all the ingredients and pulse it for few seconds until everything is blended together.

Pour it in a serving glass and serve chilled.

NOTES:

Cancer patients should avoid sugar, as it is a cancer feeder. Substitute it with any natural sweetener.

Baby corns are the versatile veggie, as you can cook anything like appetizer or curries or any side dish recipes. I love baby corns and I always try to experiment different dishes with that. Today I tried making baby corn fried fingers for Ifthar and turned really super delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

12 baby corns

2 tablespoons maida

2 tablespoons corn flour

2 tablespoons rice flour

½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1½ tablespoon red chilly powder

¾ tablespoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon pepper powder

A pinch of baking soda

Salt to taste

Water as required

INSTRUCTIONS:

Wash the baby corns well and Cut each corns vertically into two and boil it in water for 6 to 8 min till they are tender. Drain and set aside.

Take all the ingredients (except baby corns) in a bowl and add water little by little to form batter consistency.

Dip each baby corn pieces into the paste and deep fry in pre heated oil until they turn golden brown.

Drain it in paper towels to remove extra oil.

Serve hot with sauce or mayonnaisse & enjoy.