CHETTINAD CAULIFLOWER RASAM

I first tasted this rasam during my visit to my Periyamma's place (Mother's sister).  She lived in Chettinad region for many years and learnt this recipe from that place.  I like it from the very first time.  This can also be taken as soup or can also go well with cooked rice. Addition of ginger, pepper, jeera would give medicinal flavor and aroma to the rasam and would be a soothing relief for sore throat.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower florets (Washed in warm water) - 1 cup

Riped tomatoes - 3 big size

Onion - 1

Lemon (cut in half) - One half

Cooked toor dhal - 1/2 cup

Green chilly - 1 or 2

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt to taste

Curry and coriander leaves - few

To grind:

Pepper - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1/2 tsp

To temper:

Ghee/oil- 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Cook toor dhal in pressure cooker and keep it separately.

2.  Wash the cauliflower florets in warm water.  Keep the items given in the ingredients list ready before preparation.

                          

 

3. In a heavy bottomed kadai, a tsp of ghee/oil add the mustard seeds and wait until it crackles. Add green chilly and curry leaves and later followed by cut onions.  When the onions turn brown, add the tomatoes.

                          

 

4.  Once the tomatoes turn mushy, add the caulifower florets, salt, and turmeric powder.  Add 1.5 cups of water and let the cauliflower gets cooked in that.

                     

5. In between, powder jeera and pepper in a mixer and keep this ready.  Once the florets are cooked, add the powder followed by mashed cooked toor dhal.

                        

 

6.  When the rasam gets frothy, switch off the flame, garnish with coriander leaves and squeeze out the juice from the cut lemon.  

Now the aromatic cauliflower rasam is ready to serve.  This can be taken as such as a soup.  The crunchiness and taste of onions and cauliflower adds an additional zing to the dish.  

Happy New Year - Mysore Pak (Burfi)

Hearty New Year Wishes to all my readers.  Sorry for not posting for quite some time as I was settling down slowly after the Chennai floods.   Lot of personal priorities to be taken care of and I took some time to clear one by one.

Last year was a remarkable year for me both in person and professional front.  Lot of wishes and dreams have come true.  The start of the new year is also divine.  I went to the famous Tirumala and had a very good darshan on two consecutive days.  Looking forward this year with lot of hopes..

I thought to start the new year with a sweet.   Here's the recipe for Mysore Pak.  Very easy and authentic recipe which can be made in just half an hour.  The quantity can yield around 30 to 35 medium sized mysore paks.  

Ingredients:

Bengal gram flour - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Melted Ghee - 1.5 cups

Sugar for sprinkling - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation:

 1. Sieve the bengal gram flour to get rid of lumps.  This is a must to be done step to get a perfect mysore paks.  Grease a plate with ghee as a ready step.  Due to lighting, the flour looks white in color instead of pale yellow.

2.  In a heavy bottom pan, add a tsp of ghee and fry the flour until the raw smell of flour vanishes. This would hardly take 3-5 minutes.

3. In a heavy bottom pan, add sugar with water enough to immerse it (approximately half cup of water).

4. Boil until 1 string consistency.  If you take the ladle, a string will form as shown in picture.

5. Add the flour slowly stirring continuously.  The flame should be in low to medium side during this step.  Don't worry if lumps are seen, slowly it will disappear if you keep stirring continuously.

6. Add ghee in between slowly and keep stirring until the ghee mixes and add the next batch of ghee slowly.  

                              

7. At one stage, the color changes and add 2 tsp of oil.  Adding oil would bring tiny hollows to the mysore pak as like in shops which would taste crispy and stiff while eating.

7.  At one stage, the whole mixture starts frothy as shown in the picture.  Also there will be a fragrance filled of cooked besan in ghee.  

                          

 

8. When the mixture comes as ball without sticking to the base, pour it to the greased plate.  Do not flatten it, it will spread it by itself.

9. Sprinkle a tsp of sugar over the mixture.  This is an optional step but would given an excellent touch to the sweet.  Slice according to your desire, either square, rectangle or diamond.  Being a woman, I fond of diamonds, so cut in diamond shaped :-) .

11.  Soft melting mysore paks are ready to be served to your loved ones. 

Note:  Do not reduce the sugar and ghee level as it would turn out giving hard mysore paks.  The quantity given here has been tried multiple times and has always been perfect.