Parippu Payasam(Onam Special)

Ingredients

Chana dal -2 cups
Jaggery - 1½ cup
Grated coconut - 4 cups
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Ghee - 5 tbsp
Coconut pieces – 3 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
Sultanas -2 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Crushed cardamom - 1 tbsp

Preparation

Wash and drain chana dal.
Pressure cook chana dal till it is soft.
Mash chana dal.
Some pieces of dal can be left as it is,
so that it can give a bite in the payasam.

On low flame, in a 'uruli'or any heavy-bottom vessel,
pour ghee and fry coconut pieces and
dry fruits into golden brown.
Keep aside these to garnish later.

In the same ghee, sauté rice flour.
See that it does not turn brown.
In this, add mashed chana dal and sauté for a while.
Now add jaggery dissolved in one cup water.
Let it simmer for a while.

Extract first and second milk from the grated coconut .
Reserve the first thick coconut milk.

First, pour in the thin second extract.
As the 'payasam'thickens, pour the first thick coconut milk.
Sprinkle crushed cardamom powder.
Keep stirring for five minutes and then turn off the flame.
Garnish the payasam with golden brown nuts.

Serve hot or cold.
'Thiruonam' is the day when you really get drunk with Payasam.

In the first stage, you drink payasam plain.

Second stage, to your payasam bowl,add banana cut into pieces.
Banana will give a different twist
to the intense sweetness of the payasam.

Third stage, crush two crispy kerala papadam
into the payasam with banana pieces.

Finally, lick a piece of red hot and sour lemon pickle before
each sip of payasam.
That is how you get drunk with payasam.

HAPPY ONAM.

Phirni

Ingredients

Milk - 1 glass
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
green Cardamom - 1
Badam - 10
Pista - 15
saffron (optional)

Preparation

In a pan pour thick milk and mix rice flour.
Keep on slow fire and stir continously.
As it cooks and start to thicken,
add sugar and crushed badam and pista.
Stir till it turns thick and creamy.
Add crushed cardamom and garnish with
crushed green pistas.
Rerigerate it for 2 hours

Serve this soft mildly flavoured sweet
after a heavy biriyani.

A very easy north indian dessert .

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

Dark chocolate -250 gm
White chocolate -120 gm
Cream -4 tbsp
Powdered sugar -5 tbsp
Butter -2 tbsp

Preparation

Keep a saucepan on medium flame, pour
two glasses of water and bring to boil.
On top of the saucepan keep a larger bowl with
broken pieces of dark chocolate and white chocolate.
Reserve about 20 gm of white chocolate for decorating
the truffles on the top.
Simultaneously in another vessel heat half a glass of cream.
As the chocolate melts pour 3 to 4 tbsp of hot cream.
Pour cream only as much needed.

Take the bowl from the flame and keep on stiring.
Add powdered sugar, vanilla essence or any flavour.
Keep on stirring.
As the chocolate cools , it gets a shining texture.
Now add butter and stir.

In small greased ice trays or small moulds pour this
smooth and shining chocolate and refrigerate for 24 hrs.

Next day double boil the reserved white chocolate as before
and pipe it on the truffles and refrigerate again .

Wrap each individually in transparent covers and gift it to
your dear ones.

Banana Chocolate Shake

Banana - 1
Milk - ½ glass
Grated milk chocolate – 40 gm
Or
Chocolate sauce - 3tbsp
Instant - coffee powder -1 tbsp
Vanilla ice-cream -1 scoop

Grate chocolate and slice bananas.
In a blender add grated chocolate, banana
And chilled milk. Blend well till you get
Smooth and thick shake.
Pour in a glass tumbler , top it with
A spoon of ice-cream and dust it with
Instant coffee powder.
Serve immediately.

Tropical Smoothie

Papaya - 1 cup (coffee mug)
Mango - 1 cup
Milk - ¼ cup
Sugar - 1tbsp
Vanilla Ice –Cream

Wash papaya and mango and dry them with
a napkin. Peel and cut the fruits into chunks.

In a blender first put papaya. Run the blender for
one minute. Now add mango milk and sugar.
Switch-on the blender for two minutes.

Cool it and serve with a scoop of ice - cream.
The sweet tempting smoothie to cool
you on a hot summer day….

Tips:
1. Papaya should not be too ripe.
Too ripe papaya will affect the smoothie’s
Silky consistency.
2. Use the same cup to measure all the ingredients.

Caramel Pudding

Caramel Pudding
Milk –2medium glass
Eggs –4
Sugar –6tbsp
Grated nutmeg –1/4tsp
Butter to grease
lemon zest –1/2 tsp
Sugar to caramelize –3tbsp
Take a bowl ,grease it with butter .Put 3tbsp of
Sugar and keep on a low flame to caramelise . As it
turns into deep colour ,off the flame .Tilt the bowl
And swirl it around to get a round shape .Immediately
sprinkle the grated lemon zest .Keep aside to cool .
Beat thoroughly 4 eggs and 2cups of milk with 6tbsp
Of sugar .Pour into the caramelised bowl sprinkle1/4 tsp
of grated nutmeg and double boil it .Close the bowl with
a loose lid .Keep on a medium flame for 20 minutes .
Let it cool ,then refrigerate it .Do not freeze .After an hour,
keep a serving plate upside down on the bowl , catching
firmly on the bowl and plate , turn it up .Remove the bowl .
Wow …there it is .
As jewellery is to the dressing up of a lady ,dessert is
the jewel of the dinner table .Decorate it .

To double boil - In a large vessel pour 2 glasses of water
keep the bowl raised in the vessel , so that water does not enter the bowl
while boiling.Now close the bowl and the large vessel with a loose lid .

Caramel banana split

Ripe banana ( ethapazham) – 1big

Clarified butter ( ghee) – 1tbsp
Sugar – 3tbsp
Honey –2tbsp
Fresh orange juice – 4tbsp
Grated orange zest – ½ tsp
Vanilla ice-cream

Take very ripe banana and slice

it into 8 pieces lengthwise ,
or into round shape. Keep a frying pan on low flame . Put 1tbsp
Of ghee and the sliced bananas in the pan . Sorte for a second and
Close the lid for two minutes. When the banana turns golden brown ,
Soft and smells great,take it out and keep aside. Add sugar in the
Same pan and let it caramelise .Now pour the orange juice with
The zest and after a minute add the golden bananas .
Turn off the fire, add 2 tbsp of honey and mix well . Arrange the
Caramelised golden banana pieces in a bowl and top it with a
Scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Pour the remaining hot caramelised
Sauce, flavoured with orange and honey on the ice-cream .
Just forget the calories and scream for more……..

Use only most ripe bananas ;do not cool after cooking.Serve hot with ice-cream.

merging of different flavours make -
this dessert distinct..

Mango Jam (without preservatives)

Mango pieces –5cup

Sugar _2cups

Cloves -3

Mix mango pieces and sugar in a vessel.
Keep it in low flame.As it starts to boil,
Smash it with a ladel.
Stir it continuously till it gets thicker.
Add crushed cloves
And turn off the fire.
Can keep in air tight container in the fridge for two weeks.

Tips-


For getting a deeper colour add five dark plums.
Remember to remove the seeds.

Spread on your morning toast or with chapatti, this jam is great…