Boondhi Laddu

Boondhi Laddu

This is a delicious laddu made out of besan flour.Its very costly when we buy, but very cheap when we do it at home.Just a 100gm of besan flour will give you 12 laddus.Keep the ratio in cups whatever the measurement may be.Though it seems to be difficult to do, with little tips and tricks anyone can do this sweet.

Ingredients

Besan/chickpea flour or  kadali mavu - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup will be need
oil - for frying

For sugar syrup:
Sugar- 1 1/2 cups
Water - 1 cup
cardomom pods crushed - 3

For garnishing:
Raisins - 10-12
cashew broken - 5-6nos
crystal sugar - few

Preparation

First mix besan flour with 1/2 cup of water and test with a ladle which has holes to see for proper consistency.The batter should neither be thick nor too thin.When poured in the ladle it should drop little by little. Not too fast.Adjust flour or water for the consistency.

Add sugar, water and cardomom  in a pan and heat it.Add 1 tsp of milk  to the syrup to remove the debris form sugar. You get white bubbles formed, remove it with a spoon.

Heat the syrup till it attains 1/2 string consistency. Simply touch the syurp with thumb and index finger and see it forms like a thread and breaks. This is 1/2 thread consistency.At this stage switch off the stove.

Parallel to the sugar syrup, add little ghee and fry cashews and raisins and keep it aside.

To the ghee and oil and heat it. When hot, pour the batter in side the laddle and move the laddle zig zag. Otherwise all the droplets will be gathered at the center. If the batter is in good consistency, the boondis will not have tail or become flat.It will be like balls.Even at this stage, u can adjust the consistency of the batter.

Fry the boondis, not to crispy.This is very important.If fried very crispy, boondis will not absorp sugar syrup. So, once the batter is dropped, reduce the heat to low and fry.Let the boondis be soft itself, remove it from fire and add it to the 1/2 string consistency syrup.Repeat this step till the batter finishes.Side by side add it to the syrup, so that the boondis start to soak. If you add it as a whole batch, boondis will not absorp properly and cannot be made as laddu.

Atlast add fried cashews, raisins and sugar crystal to the soaked boondis and give it a mix. Now the boondis will be hot.Let it cool to warm temperature to make it as laddus.Take a handful of boondis and try to make it as a ball by pressing it.If it does not stick or form properly as laddu, try to mash boondis with your hand and try to make it.

Make laddus and keep it out for atleast 10-20 minutes, so that laddus become firm.1/2 string consistency syrup makes the laddus to become firm. Place it in a air tight container and should be used within 2 days. It can also be refridgerated and used, but become very hard.

Kathirikai Thokku / Brinjal or eggplant Thokku

Kathirikai thokku / brinjal thokku

This is a tasty dish. I love this dish very much.Very easy and quick to do. It can be kept outside and used for 2 days.Excellent side dish for rotis, dosa and curd rice.Very yummy yummy.

Ingredients(serves for 2)
small brinjals-3 nos / big eggplant - 1
onion - 1
tomato - 1
garlic - 4 pods
chilly powder - 2tsp
tamarind - marble sized
fennel seeds - 1 tsp
oil- 2 tbsp
salt to taste

Preparation
cut vegetables into pieces

Heat oil in a pan and fry brinjal by adding 1 tsp of  chilly powder and little salt till golden brown and keep it
aside.

In the same oil season fennel seeds and saute onions, garlic.

 Then add tomatoes,remaining  chilly powder,fennel seeds powder(if not seasoned at the beginning) little salt  and tamarind to it.Grind the sauted masala.

Heat oil in another pan and saute the ground masala by adding little water.

When the gravy thickens, add the fried brinjal and saute till the oil oozes out.

Murungaikai Thokku/ Drumstick Thokku

Murungaikai Thokku/ Drumstick Thokku

Ingredients
2 drumsticks / murungaikai chopped into 2 inch length
1 onion chopped
1 tomatoe chopped
Garlic - 5 pods crushed
Chilly powder 2 tbsp
turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Tamarind - lemon sized - pulped

For seasoning
Mustard 1 tsp
Fennel seeds 1 tsp
Asafoetida 1/4 tsp
Oil 2-3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Preparation


Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard, asafoetida and fennel seeds

Add crushed garlic

Then Curry leaves

Also add onions,tomatoes,salt(just add salt for onion and tomato alone) and turmeric powder and saute till onion turns transparent and tomatoe turns mushy

Add chilly powder and saute till raw smell goes off

Now add tamarind pulp and allow it to boil for 2 minutes.

Add drumstick, salt(for vegetable alone) to the gravy and cook with a lid on.

When the vegetable color changes and is cooked, remove the lid and allow the gravy to thicken on open pan.

Serve with plain rice

Thakali Thokku / Tomato Thokku

Thakali thokku / Tomato thokku

Ingredients

Onions - 1 chopped

Tomato - 2 chopped

Garlic pods - 5 nos

Green chillies slit - 3 nos

Curry leaves - 1 strand

Chilly powder - 2 tsp

cumin powder- 1 tsp

For Seasoning

Oil 2 tbsp

Asafoetida - 1tsp

Fennel seeds - 1tsp

Mustard - 1tsp

Salt to taste

Preparation

Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard, asafoetida, fennel seeds.

Add green chillies and saute.

Saute till the skin of the green chillies should change in whitish spots.

Add garlic and saute

Add curry leaves

Then onions. Saute till onion turns pinkish.

Add turmeric powder

Now add tomatoes

Followed by chilly powder, cumin powder and salt

Mix well and saute till tomaotes turn mushy

When onion and tomatoe's moisture is reduced and oil oozes at sides of the pan, switch off the stove.

You can garnish with corriander leaves.

Can be served with rotis/dosa/idli or even with rice.

Tindora Fry / Kovaikai Fry

Tindora Fry / Kovaikai Fry

Ingredients
Kovaikai/tindora 100 gms
onion - 1 chopped
garlic 3 cloves - minced
chilli powder - 1 tbsp
cumin powder - 1 tsp
salt to taste

For seasoning
oil 2 tbsp
cumin - 1 tsp

Preparation


Wash and cut the edges of the tindora and slit into four halves.Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, onions and garlic. Saute till the  onions turn golden brown in sim flame.

Then add tindora/kovai kai, to this add cumin powder, chilly powder and salt and saute in sim flame.

When the tindora is cooked and turns brownish, switch off the stove. Serve as side dish with rice.