Basanthi Sweet

Ingredients:

Cashew Nuts - 25 gm
Almonds - 50 gm
Pistachio Nuts -40 gm
Pistachio Nuts(sliced)- 10 gm
Milk - 1 litre
Sugar - 1/2 kg
Yellow Food Color - 1 drop
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Saffron - a pinch


Instructions:

Soak Cashew nuts,almonds,pista nuts in water for 4 hours.
Boil milk in a pan over medium heat.
Grind cashew,almond,pista paste.Add the paste to milk.
Stir the milk constantly and cook for 15 minutes.
Add sugar then add food colour.
Add saffron and cardomom powder.
Remove from heat.
Mix with sliced pistachio nuts.
Allow it to cool.Serve it.

Kuzhalappam

Delicious kerala snack kuzhalappam

Ingredients:

Sifted rice flour - 1 kg
Sugar - 1/2 kg
Coconut - 1
Small onion (shallots) - 1 cup
Garlic - 1/4 cup
Cumin - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 5
Sesame seeds -1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Refined coconut oil to fry - 1 kg


Instructions:

Extract coconut milk
Roast rice flour well.
Grind onions, cumin ,garlic together. Add salt.
Mix flour with the above paste.Add sesame seeds and cumin seeds.
When still hot ,add coconut milk mixture to form a finely stiff dough
Mix and knead well. Roll into small balls and paste two ends together, looking like a long cylinder.
Fry in hot oil till crisp.
Wrap in paper towels.
Cool and put into airtight tins.

Mint-Coriander Chutney

Ingredients:

Coriander - 2 cups
Mint - 1 cup
Red chillies - 6
Chopped onion - 1
Peeled and grated ginger - 1/2"
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sunflower oil - 1 tsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp


Instructions:

In a pan heat the oil & add red chillies,onion, ginger,coarsely chop coriander, mint and fry for a minute.Add little salt,sugar.Finally add lime juice.Add enough water grind it to make a coarse paste.

Transfer to a nonmetallic container. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add cumin seeds and stir until fragrant. Remove from heat and add to chutney. Mix well before serving. It may be refrigerated and used within 24 hours.

Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients:

Water - 2 cups
Tamarind paste-1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 tablespoons


Instructions:

In a saucepan combine the water, tamarind paste (without seeds) and sugar.
Bring to boil over moderate heat.
Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
Strain the tamarind juice & serve it.

Note:
This chutney can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Papdi Chaat

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour - 250 gms
Ghee or oil - 4 tbsp
Ajwan seeds(tymol seeds) - 1/4 tsp.
Chopped boiled tiny pieces potatoes - 5
Boiled,mashed chickpeas - 1 cup
sprinkle with salt to taste)
Chopped onions - 2
Chopped tomatoes - 2
Fine sev (gram flour vermicilli) - 2cups
Red chilli powder - 2 tsps
Salt - 3 tsps
Cumin seeds powder - 2 tbsps
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 cup
Beaten Fresh yoghurt - 2 cups
Tamarind Chutney - 1 cup
Mint-Corainder Chutney - 2 tbsp.
Vegetable or Sunflower oil to deep fry

Instructions:

For Papdi:

Mix all-purpose flour, ajwain seeds, ghee and salt. Add enough water and knead into soft dough. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into small portions.

Roll out each portion of the dough with the help of some dry flour, roll into large thin rounds. Prick all over with fork. Cut out small rounds from it with a cutter. Fry them in hot oil until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towel.

Store in an airtight container when cool.


To serve:

First set up all ingredients - Papdis, toppings and chutneys within easy reach. Dip 5-6 Papdis (per person) in yoghurt and remove. Arrange on a plate.
Put a little potato, chickpeas, onion and tomato on each Papdi. When all are done in this way, drizzle a teaspoonful each of Tamarind and Mint-Corainder Chutney on each Papdi.
Sprinkle a handful of sev all over the Papdis in the plate. Now sprinkle red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve as soon as possible or the Papdis will get soggy.