Kaarthigai palagaaram - Pori urundai

Source: http://food.sulekha.com/pori-urundai-id10677-22672-recipe.htm

Ingredients:
Pori - 2 cups
Coconut – ¼ cup
Jaggery – ½ cup
Elatchi - 1 tsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Water – ¼ cup

Method:
Melt ghee; add the coconut (cut into tiny bits), elatchi and the Pori to it.
In a pan, mix jaggery and water to make a syrup.
Pour a little syrup on some Pori mix to make a ball (urundai).
Mostly one ball will need ¼ tsp of syrup.
If the consistency is good enough, mix in all the pori mixture into the syrup and start making balls, by applying little ghee on your hand to resist the heat.

Kaarthigai palagaaram - Kuzhi appam

Ingredients:
Raw rice - 1 cup,
Powdered Jaggery - 1 cup,
Cocunut(grated) - 1/2 cup,
Plantain - 1,
Cardamom - 3,
Salt - a pinch,
Oil

Method:
1.Soak the rice for 1 hour and grind to the consistency of dosa batter.
2.To the above add the jaggery, grated coconut, plantain, cardamom and a pinch of salt and grind in a mixie.
3.Heat the appa kuzhi in the stove.
4.Grease all the holes with oil in each portion(till it covers half of the hole) and heat
5.Pour a small amount of this batter into the oil in each portion.
6.Turn over with the help of a stick and cook until the appams are fried well, and become golden brown on all sides.
7.Remove from serve and serve with butter

Kadhai paneer

After almost 4 years, I had a craving for some home-made paneer dish. Recipe is from 'Manjula's kitchen'. Doesn't it look awesome and delicious!!!

Here's the recipe with a few modifications(no asofoetida and g.chillies)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound paneer
• 1 medium red bell pepper (shimla mirch, capsicum)
• 1 medium green bell pepper (shimla mirch, capsicum)
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 medium tomatoes
• About 1/4 inch piece of ginger
• 3 red chillies
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons coriander powder (dhania)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped fenugreek leaves (methi) or dry fenugreek leaves (kastoori methi)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste

Method:

1. Cut paneer and bell peppers into ½ inch cubes.
2. Blend the tomatoes, ginger, and red chillies to make a puree.
3. Heat the oil in frying pan on medium heat and stir fry paneer for about 2 minutes – take them out before paneer starts changing color.
4. Next stir-fry bell pepper until they are tender. Do not over cook the bell pepper. Take them out and drain on a paper towel.
5. Using the same frying pan, Test the oil by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready.
6. Add the cumin seeds.
7. After the cumin seeds crack, add the tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, fenugreek leaves and black pepper.
8. Cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat.
9. Tomato mixture will reduce to about half in volume.
10. Add about 2 spoons of water, and the salt.
11. Wait till gravy comes to boil add paneer and bell pepper and let it simmer for about five minutes on low medium heat.
12. Now it is ready to serve.