Blogging Break- Bed Rest By Doctors Orders

Hello Friends, just when Ramadaan has started and I was fully prepared to join many of the wonderful events during this festve season, my lifr has gone upside down. Due to Pregnancy related health complications, I have been ordered strict bed rest till delivery. My thanks to the almighty that the right people were around me to save my baby. Also a thanks to my wonderful hubby who is taking care of me inspite of fasting for such long hours and working full time. My daughter is showing me how grownup she is. I will not be able to post any recipes anytime soon. But uff! its only one day since I have returned from the hospital and already I am itching to get out of bed. how will I last till november end?
Please pray for me.

Ramadaan Kareem - Mutton Sukka Masala (Dry Curry)

Today night starts the holy month of Ramadaan this year. Ramadaan Kareem to everybody. May this blessed month bring to you all the blessings, forgiveness and prosperity to you and your loved ones.

Our standard menu for suhur like lunch menu on any other day and dinner has breakfast items. For Iftar we normally have Nonbu kanji, Bajji's or pakoras or similar item, rose milk, some sweet variety, Fresh fruits and fruit juice. I will be posting my recipes soon. Today I am starting with a dry mutton curry. The pieces are well cooked, spicy, and keep upto four days in the fridge. And my hubby dosen't mind having this everyday for three days in a row. So for the first few days of Ramadaan when my body is adapting to the changed schedules, it is a great recipe for me.

This is a dry curry, great as a side dish for plain rice and curry or as a filling for chappatis, naan, khubz etc..It is a standard first suhur dish for each ramadaan in my house as it is difficult to have an apetite for the first few days till our bodies get used to eating before sunrise. Such spicy dishes help to get the rest of the food inside. Nowadays experts are recommending that people should have a light suhur, light iftar etc. It is not practical in our family as my Husband is a hard working man and needs the energy to work through out the day on one meal. Inspite of our diet we always loose around four kg of weight every ramadaan. It may be different for you, so take care during ramadaan and keep an eye on the calories consumed. Drink a lot of water to rehydrate your body after iftar.

Ingredients:

Mutton - 1/2 kg cut into 1 inch cubes
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsp or to taste
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 2-3 tsp
Sesame Oil - 3 tbsp
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp

Mix all the items except coconut oil and put in a pressure cooker. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook till done. Open the cooker, Check for salt and chilli level. If required add more at this stage.Let it simmer till all the liquid is dried up. Add coconut oil and stir to mix well and remove from heat.

Repost: Strawberry Dates Milkshake

I am reposting this recipe for the event Ramadan Friendly Foods  hosted by The Halal Foodie

For the recipe please click Strawberry Dates Milkshake

Repost: Chicken Cutlets

I am reposting this recipe for Ramadan Friendly Foods event hosted by The Halal Foodie

For teh recipe please click .http://simplewomansimplelife.blogspot.com/2012/03/chicken-cutlet-and-womans-day.html

Gulab Jamuns (Using Milk Powder)

GULAB JAMUN

Gulab Jamuns are everybody's favourite desert as far as I know. Recently my daughter had food festival in her school. Students we re supposed to take their choice of prepared dish to the school. All the dishes are arranged as  a buffet and the teachers and the students help themselves to what they want. My daughter wanted me to make Chicken Cutlets but in my current condition, getting up early in the morning and frying a big batch of cutlets is a definite no-no, so I made Gulab jamun, which can be made the previous night and taken to the school in the morning. I also sent disposable bowls and spoons to fascilitate self serving.  It was a hit and the whole batch around 60 jamuns were polished off in notime. My daughter returned with a big grin on her face.

So here's the recipe:
For the jamuns:

Milk Powder - 1 cup
Egg - 1 nos
Ghee - 2 tsp +1 tsp
Milk -  2-3 tbsp
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 pinch
Maida - 3 tsp

For the jeera (Sugar Syrup)
Sugar 1 cup
water - 2 cups
cardomom - 3-4 crushed
Rose Water (optional) 2-3 tbsp

First make the jeera - Dissolve sugar in the water and bring to boil with crushed cardomoms and add rose water and keep covered till the jamuns are ready.

For the jamuns : In a bowl put the milk powder, add maida, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk dry with a whisk or fork to mix the ingredients thoroughly. In another bowl break the egg, add two tsps ghee and 2 - 3 tbsp milk. whisk well to a creamy colour, but not frothy. Pour this into the milk powder mixture and mix with a fork first, then bring together with your fingers greased with a little ghee to a smooth ball. With the help of a little ghee or oil make small marble sized balls and keep aside on a greased plate.

Heat oil to medium heat and fry the jamuns on low to medium flame till golden brown. Add the jamuns to the syrup and let them soak in the syrup for a minimum of 1/2 hour.

You can serve as such warm or chilled or with Vanilla Ice cream or Poli.

One cup milk powder will give you around 30 jamuns 4 cm diameter.

Soft Syrupy Little Balls of Delight

As you can see from the cut peice, the jamuns are evenly cooked and even grained - no lumps, uncooked portions.

I am sending this to The Halal Foodies Ramadan Friendly Recipes event

Idiyappam (String Hoppers)

Soft Fluffy Idiyappam

When we were in Trivandrum, our house was a main stopping point for all the relatives going to and fro to the gulf states. We heard of many wacky stories about gulf returnees and how they were treated on their arrival by their relatives and how they fare when they depart from India. One famous narration goes this way: One fellow comes from gulf on leave. A passerby asks a person from the recieving  group : Dosaiyaano, aapamaano, idiyappamaano? (Is he a Dosai or an Aappam or an Idiyaappam), the man naturally asks what do you mean? The reply comes pat: Well Dosai means to get cooked two ways so he has come with a return ticket, Aappam is cooked only on one side, so he has come witha one way ticket and returning may be delayed, idiyappam making involves a long and complicated process so his visa has complications and his job is in trouble. So whats his case?

Hmm. Trust malayalees to see the humour in any situation. Well, you must be thinking why I told this anectode. The fact is in my opinion, Idiyappam was an easy to prepare dish, so how come it is considered to be a lengthy process? Then only I came to know that there were two methods of making idiyappam. With roasted rice flour and other with rice batter.

The method most followed in my family is with roasted rice flour. We used to prepare the flour regularly at home in thiruvananthapuram, infact there is a huge iron kadai and a big wooden spatula just for that purpose, but now it is in storage as no one uses it anymore.

In UAE, we had enough relatives coming and going to bring us a supply of homemade idiayappam maavu, prepared by my Maami (MIL). Here we have to rely on store bought flour, they are quite good, but I somehow felt that my maami made better idiyappam flour, I guess thats a psychological thing.

For three persons, you need:

2 cups Idiyappam flour
Boiling water a required
salt to taste
little oil

Put the roasted rice flour in a wide bottommed vessel with a stable bottom. Stir in the salt well. POur in the boiling water little by little stirring with the back of a ladle till the dough comes together. The correct consistency (padham) is that the dough should not stick when you press with a wet finger. Oil the idiyappam press and plates. Press through the mould onto the plates and steam in a steamer. I use the standard idli plate and steamer for this. Steam for a maximum of eight to ten mins. Keep in a warm covered vessel or an insulated caserole. Serve with any stew, Mutton Curry, Chicken curry, Maasi Kuzhambu , coconut chutney, vegetable curries or for sweet lovers with fresh coconut milk flavoured with caromoms and sweetened with sugar. or with sugar coconut & banana.
It can also be made into lemon idiyappam, Tamarind idiyappam etc.. like the different varieties of mixed rice. I will post the recipes for those as time permits.

Idiyappam is an easily digested food and as you can see very versatile. You can have idiyappam daily for weeks with different flavours on each day. Also since the flour can be kept in stock, it is a tiffin which can be made for unexpected guests.

Repost : Corriander Carrot Whole Wheat Dosai

I am reposting this recipe for the event Know Your Flours - Whole Wheat Flours by Jagruti. I am sending Corriander Carrot Whole Wheat Dosai.

http://simplewomansimplelife.blogspot.com/2011/06/corriander-carrot-whole-wheat-dosai.html

Whole Wheat Dosai With Carrot & Corriander