Diwali Special - Collection of Savories

Happy & Safe Diwali

Hi friends, Diwali is just round the corner and here is a handy collection of Savories that you would want to enjoy with family,friends & relatives. These recipes are not very complicated and can be prepared in less than 30 mins.
Note : The quantity mentioned in the recipes is for 2-3 people. You can proportionately increase the quantity of ingredients if making in bulk.

Click on the individual image to get the detailed recipe

Capsicum Paneer Paratha

Capsicum Paneer paratha is a very nutritious and healthy breakfast option loaded with the goodness of capsicums/ bell peppers and cottage cheese i.e paneer. This can be even packed for lunch box for kids as well as adults. The addition of paneer provides the necessary protein requirement for the day making it a wholesome meal . Serve it with some thick curd / raith or some pickle .Can also be paired it with some gravy or dhall if serving for lunch or dinner.

Preparation Time : 10-15 mins
Cooking Time : 30 mins
Complexity : Medium

Vazhakkai Puli Kootu | Raw Bananas in Tamarind gravy

Vazhakkai Puli Kootu is a delicious and a nice alternative to the regular raw banana curry / vazhakkai curry or vazhakkai podimaas .
This recipe belongs to the South Indian cuisine and more so is a very traditional recipe of the Tamil Brahmins. Mostly this recipe features on the menu of the wedding meal . This puli kootu can be served with some piping hot rice with a dollop of ghee and some papads as side or can also be served as an accompaniment to any vethakuzhambu variety or sambar or even More kuzhambu.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Complexity : simple

Palak Paneer | Cottage Cheese in Spinach Gravy (No Onion No Garlic)

Palak Paneer absolutely needs no introduction. A very very healthy and nutritious recipe with the loaded health benefits of Palak/ Spinach and Paneer.
 By now as all of you must be aware ,I concentrate on presenting recipes as  No Onion No garlic versions, so for this Palak Paneer recipe ,I have used cashew paste to add to the richness of the gravy and also a mild nutty and sweet flavor.

Preparation Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 15 mins
Complexity : Simple

Lemon Capsicum Rice | Chithranna

Lemon Capsicum rice is a very filling and can be prepared in a jiffy. This also is a good option for  lunch box as well.  Addition of some groundnuts and boiled chick peas (kabuli channa) enhances the flavor by giving the necessary crunch and also the nutrition value increases because of the protein value . Does not require any separate accompaniment , some chips or fried vadams/ papads will go well and kids will definitely enjoy this.
A hassle free preparation for working ladies with a slight twist to the regular lemon rice / nimbekkai chithranna.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 10 -15 mins
Complexity : simple

Maddur Vade | Maddur Vada

Before I get into the details of today's recipe, I would like to thank each and every reader, subscribers of my blog ,YouTube Channel and my Facebook page for the immense support and encouragement that you all have given me .
This is my 200th Post which I consider as a milestone in my Blogging Journey . Thanks once again dear readers ,without whom this milestone could not have been possible.

Now, coming to today's post ; I have always loved this Maddur Vade (  Karnataka Speciality) for the crispy outside and soft inside .Tastes heavenly when it is hot with some freshly ground coconut chutney.
Maddur Vade is a crispy fritter from the town called Maddur in Karntaka,India, This town lies between the  cities Bangalore &  Mysore in the Mandya District.
The recipe uses basic ingredients in our pantry and can be prepared really quickly for kitty parties, tea time snacks or even as starters for kids birthday parties or any kind of get together.
As this a No Onion No Garlic version, it can be offered as prasad during any Poojas or festival days.

Note : Traditionally this recipe uses Onion as one of the main ingredients. Since, I am into blogging recipes without the use of Onion and Garlic I have skipped it. Many readers ask me can we not make it without Onion, so as usual this is an attempt to help my readers who eat Saathvik food.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-30 mins
Complexity : Medium

Bansi Rava Sheera | Broken Wheat Sheera

Bansi Rava is obtained from wheat and slightly darker in color as compared to the regular rava / sooji that is used for making sheera , upma etc. Bansi rava is also known by the name Bareek Lapsi . Bareek meaning fine and Lapsi is the name for rava/sooji/semolina obtained from Wheat.

I thank a good friend of mine and a fellow blogger who reminded me off this name "Bareek Lapsi" after reading my recipe. Do check her blog Priyadarshini's Kitchen for some amazing recipes.

Bansi Rava is quite popular in southern India and is used widely in Karnataka for making Upma . The recipe for Bansi Rava Upma can be found in my blog.
Today, I am presenting to you a sweet made from Bansi Rava called as Bansi Rava Kesari or Naatu Rava kesari . Kesari is also known as Sheera in the North and Sajjige in Karnataka .

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 15-20 mins
Complexity : Simple

Idli Molagapudi - Variant 2

Idli molagapudi or Gun powder is an integral part of any South Indian home.It id used as an accompaniment with idlis, dosa , chapathi etc. I love to experiment with different combination of ingredients of this podi  each time I make them. I have already posted the recipe for very typical or traditional recipe which is followed in most homes .
Today's recipe is a mild change with addition of some extra ingredients. Do try and give me your feedback friends!

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Roasting Time : 5 mins
Complexity : simple

Kesar Badam Milk | Saffron Almond Milk | बादाम दूध

Kesar Badam Milk is an Indian Beverage which is loaded with the richness of almonds and subtle flavor of saffron (kesar) and cardamom powder. Almonds possess a lot of health benefits and nutrition which is good for children as well as elders .
I offer Badam Milk as prasad /neivedhiyam to the Lord on festive days .A very very rich and flavorful drink which can be prepared in less than 5 mins if we have the Badam powder ready with us . I shall detail out the steps to make this Badam powder at home and store it for prolonged use.
Badam Milk can be served warm or even chilled.

Preparation Time : 20 mins
Cooking Time : 5mins
Complexity : Simple

Rava Payasam | Sooji Kheer | Rava Kheer

Rava Paysam / Kheer is a very quick and easy to whip up dessert incase you have sudden guests or visitors at home or need a simple yet tasty dessert for a kitty party . This can be rustled up in less than 20 mins with bare minimum ingredients which are always available in our kitchen pantry .
This dessert will yield a nice quantity as rava when roasted and cooked will swell up well increasing the volume of the dessert .

Preparation Time : 5 mins
Cooking Time : 15 mins
Complexity : simple

Bansi Rava Upma /Daliya Upma (Cream of wheat Upma)

Call it Bansi Rava (Telugu/Kannada),Samba Godhumai/Naatu Rava (Tamil),Dalia(hindi/gujrati),Broken Wheat / Cream of Wheat (English) is a very healthy and a diabetic friendly ingredient.

The procedure to make upma is the same as Rava Upma ;the only difference that I have observed is that Dalia/Bansi Rava gets roasted quickly and absorbes good amount of water yielding a good quantity of upma.

The sweetness of the wheat adds a mild sweet and nutty flavor to the upma. I haved added a teaspoon of rasam powder while making the upma which gave some extra spiciness.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20 min
Complexity : Medium
Serves : 2-3
Water Ratio : 1 cup rava : 2^1/2 cups water.


Ingredients

1^1/4   cups bansi rava/dalia
1 cup chopped and boiled vegetables (carrots,beans,potato,peas)

**skip potato if you are on diabetic / CKD diet 

2-3 green chillies finely chopped (adjust as per spiceness of the chilly)
few curry leaves finely chopped
small piece of ginger finely chopped
1-2 tsp rasam powder (optional)
salt as per taste
1/2 tsp haldi powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp udad dal + channa dal
pinch of asafoetida
2-3 tbsp cooking oil

Method

• In a kadai, heat the oil and splutter , the mustard seeds,udad dal,channa dal,asafoetida.
• Add in the chopped ginger,curry leaves,chilli,haldi and saute well.
• Keep the required quantity of water for boiling. 
• Put in the bansi rava and roast well until you feel the rava feels light. 
• Add the boiled vegetables,salt,rasam powder,salt and give a quick saute.
• Simmer flame  to low and pour the boiling water carefully and mix well .
• Close the lid and quick until all the water gets absorbed into the rava on medium flame.
• Open the lid,mix well and cook and cook for 2 -3 mins on low flame.
• Add a teaspoon of ghee (if not vegan) and some chopped corriander for added flavor and serve hot.
• Let the upma sit for a while in the kadai . The upma may look a little lumpy and soggy initially but after 5 to 10 mins it will be nice and fluffy . 

Notes

• If using onions,saute the onions after sauteing the chillies/ginger and then roast the rava.
• Tomatoes can also be used ,soon after adding the boiling water and mix well.
• If packing for lunch box ,cool for about 5-10 mins and then pack it to avoid the upma becoming soggy due to steam.

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Mor Rasam

Mor Rasam is a also variant of rasam but made using Buttermilk as against the usual tamarind / tomatoes . This rasam can be given to people suffering from cold or cough also,because when the buttermilk is boiled , it won't affect / aggravate cold or cough and will also be soothing to the infected throat. This is also an old grandma's recipe which is now slowly losing out in our kitchen . This rasam is mildly tempered with carom seeds/ ajwain/ omam and some asafoetifa with a mild flavoring of pepper powder . All of these are spices used as  home remedies to give relief from cough and cold.
On regular days also this can be included as a part of our menu and paired with spicy vegetable stir fry and some roasted papads.
Mor Rasam is also called as Mor Chaaru in many households.

Preparation Time - 2 mins
Cooking Time - 3-4 mins
Complexity - simple

Seeyam | Sugiyan | Chithunde

Seeyam / Sugiyan/ Boorelu/ Chithunde/ Suyyam; call it by any name -this is a very traditional South Indian dessert made for various occasions. Some family traditions call for making this sweet during Navratri ,Diwali or Ganesh Chaturthi while some families make it during Sumangali Pooja or Shraddh / Devasam . In my family it is made during shraadh (the day we pay obeisance to the departed souls) . I am sure many families must be following this ritual of making this as an offering while paying homage to the ancestors / departed souls in the family .
There are various ways in which this dessert can be prepared , some use the Bengal gram / channa dal. - jaggery filling while some use the coconut jaggery filling . I have used the coconut jaggery filling for the same as per my family practice . Likewise the outer covering also varies , some use udad dhall / black gram batter while some use rice flour - maida batter and dip these filling roundels into the batter to coat well and deep fry them in oil .


Preparation Time : 30 mins
Frying time : 10-15 mins
Complexity - difficult