Gongura pachadi

 

Ingredients- Gongura leaves – 1 big bunch Red chillies – 7-8 Menthulu / fenugreek seeds – 1.5 tsp Oil – 2 tbsp Salt – as required Optional ingredients – Garlic – 4 cloves Onions / green chillies

Method –

1.       Pluck the leaves alone from the bunch such that even the red color stalk is also removed. Wash the leaves well and dry on a cloth under shade for some time.

2.    

2. Dry roast gongura leaves without oil till they change colour. Keep it aside.

 

3.       Heat oil in a kadai. Fry the methi seeds, garlic cloves and red chillies till they turn brown. 

4.   After cooling for some time, grind the chillies . After it is ground well, add the leaves and grind again.

Recipe Tips -

1.       If required a few of the garlic cloves can be kept aside and then added to the pachadi ( I did that when I made this pachadi)

2.       This can be eaten with rice and a couple of spoonfuls of ghee. Some people like to bite fresh green chillies or raw onion halves while eating this.

3.       Raw onions can also be cut into fine pieces and added to the pachadi. After a few hours, the onion  turns slightly pink and absorbs the flavour. This also tastes equally good.

Rava Kesari

RAVA KESARI / SOOJI HALWA

This is my first recipe in my blog. I wanted my first post to be my family's favorite sweet - rava kesari. Here comes my list of steps to create this wonderful, quick and easy to make sweet.

Ingredients- Rava / sooji – 1 cup Sugar – 1 ¾ cup – 2 cups Water – 3 ¾ cups Ghee – 4 tbsp Cashew – 2 tbsp Raisins / kismis – 1 tsp Cardamom / elaichi powder – 1 tsp Optional ingredient -  Food colour( orange/yellow) – a small pinch

Method –

1.       Heat 1 tsp of ghee and fry cashews and then raisins and keep them aside.

2.       In the same ghee fry sooji till it turns light brown. Keep this also aside.

3.       Boil water with a small pinch of food colour. Reduce flame and add the sooji to the boiling water. Stir while adding so that lumps are not formed. Cover it with a lid and cook for about two minutes.

                    

4.       Add sugar. The mixure now will become a little watery. Stir to mix everything well. Cover and cook for another two minutes.

5.       Add cardamom powder , cashews , raisins. Add the rest of the ghee and keep stirring till done.

Recipe Tips -

1.       The proportions given above are for a soft kesari. If you want a softer version add more ghee.

2.       If you want to cut into pieces and serve, then reduce the quantity of water.

3.       You can also add milk by reducing the quantity of water.

4.       If you wet your fingers and touch the kesari, it should not stick to the fingers. This indicates that kesari is done.