Zucchini Bread

by Deerga // July 28, 2015 // No Comments

Today, I have posted a kind of healthy dessert variety that you don’t find normally in restaurants or bakeries. It is called as the Zucchini bread. As the name suggests it is made from zucchini, a relative to pumpkins 🙂 Zucchini is also called as summer squash and is of European origin, mainly from Italy. You can make a number of dishes from zucchini like fritters, fries, as a topping in pizzas (it tastes yummy 🙂 ) etc.

Zucchini bread is a very easy to make bread variety and can be had as snack and for breakfast as well. Zucchini, as with all vegetables, is rich in nutrients especially vitamin A and very low in calories. I first had zucchini bread in a vegan restaurant and liked the taste so much. Believe me, you cannot identify that it is zucchini bread unless someone tells you that 🙂

Zucchini bread, as said above, is a very good breakfast dish, especially for children who normally do not like to eat vegetables (which covers 95% of them :)). Try this tasty bread variety and let me know your comments.

Zucchini Bread

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 65 mins

Total time: 1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 1 9x5x3 inch loaf

Ingredients

1 ½ cups bread flour or all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini
½ cup chopped walnuts (or any nuts of your choice)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inches) with butter or oil on the bottom and all four sides and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Sieve all the dry ingredients together into a small bowl.
Combine oil and sugars to the large bowl. Mix well until well combined.
Add in the eggs and beat well until creamy consistency.
Add and beat the vanilla extract.
Now combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix well without any lumps.
Finally add in the grated zucchini and chopped walnuts into the mixture and mix well.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Shake the pan and even the batter on top using spatula.
Bake in oven (preferably in the middle rack) for 55 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean – I covered the pan with aluminum foil after 35 minutes when it starts to brown on top.
Turn out onto a wire rack and allow them to cool. Serve the yummy zucchini bread as hot or cold for a breakfast or brunch or as evening snack. Enjoy! 

Dhaniya Chutney

by Deerga // July 22, 2015 // No Comments

It has been a long since I have posted the recipe of a chutney variety. Chutney, as most of you might know, is a type of condiment in Indian cuisine. There are literally hundreds of varieties of chutneys. One among them is the Dhaniya chutney. Dhaniya is the Tamil name for coriander seeds. Coriander (also called as cilantro) seeds are mainly used as a flavor enhancement in Indian cuisine. It is one of the oldest known spices in the world.

Coriander plant is one of those rare plant varieties from which you can consume both the leaves and fruits. Coriander seeds are actually dried coriander fruits. The chutney recipe I have posted here is a very good side dish for both idli and dosa. It is a healthy recipe since coriander seeds are known for their inflammatory properties and is also subscribed for stomach ailments. Having a healthy breakfast is the key to a happy and productive day ahead and what is better than idli and Dhaniya chutney to start the day!

Try this healthy and tasty chutney and let me know which one you like to have it with, idli or dosa? 🙂

Dhaniya Chutney

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Oil – 1 tbsp
Urad dal – 2 tbsp
Dhaniya or coriander seed – 1 tbsp
Shallots – 6 nos
Red chilli – 2 nos
Curry leaves – 5 nos
Tamarind – small gooseberry size
Grated coconut – 1 tbsp
Salt as required

For the seasoning:

Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Urad dal – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 5 nos

Instructions

Heat a kadai with a tbsp of oil. Add in whole urad dal and sauté until they turn slightly brown.
Add in coriander seeds and fry for few seconds or until the urad dal turn golden brown.
Now add shallots, curry leaves and red chilli. Sauté until the onions turn translucent or the raw smell disappears.
Finally add the tamarind and give a quick stir. Switch off the flame and add grated coconut and salt.
Grind them to a coarse paste in a chutney form.
Season the Dhaniya chutney with mustard, urad dal and curry leaves. Serve the Dhaniya chutney along with hot idlis /dosas and Enjoy. 

Mushroom Corn Ki Jugalbandi

by Deerga // July 10, 2015 // No Comments

Jugalbandi is a musical word related to Indian classical music referring to duet performance of two solo musicians. The word literally means “entwined twins” (courtesy:- Wikipedia). You might be wondering why I am talking about classical music in a food blog 🙂 That is because the dish I have given here today is a mix of two distinct ingredients that makes up an absolutely delicious dish called the Mushroom-Corn Ki Jugalbandi.

Mushroom-Corn Ki Jugalbandi is a north Indian sabzi variety which is prepared using mushroom and corn with a touch of cream. My HB is a big fan of this dish and it is an amazing side dish for pulao, naan, chappati and many more. Since our diet mainly consists of chapati, I am always on the lookout for new side dishes. So when I came across this recipe online I immediately tried it out and got absolutely hooked. The corn in this dish gives a crunchiness to it and the hint of cream gives a mild sweetness as well. Trust me, it is an irresistible combination 🙂

Mushroom Corn Ki Jugalbandi is a pretty rich dish because of the cream but goes well with chappati as mentioned above because it complements with the lightness of chappati. Do try this delicious dish in your kitchen and let me know to what main entree dish does it pair well with.

Mushroom Corn Ki Jugal Bandhi

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Oil – 1 tbsp
Cinnamon stick – 1”
Cloves – 2 nos
Cardamom – 3 nos
Onion, medium, finely chopped – 1 no
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Tomato, finely chopped – 1 no
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 ½ tsp
Cashew paste - 4 tbsp (from 10 nos of cashews)
Mushroom, cut to four – 1 cup
Sweet corn pod – 1 cup
Fresh cream – 1 tbsp
Cilantro, finely chopped – 1 tbsp

Instructions

Soak cashews in water for 10 minutes and blend them to fine paste.
Heat oil in a flat wide pan and season with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
Add in finely chopped onion and sauté until they turn translucent.
Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell disappears.
Add finely chopped tomato and sauté until thay turn mushy.
Now add in all the masala powders (turmeric, chilli, coriander) and salt. Give a quick stir.
Add very little water like ½ a cup and bring it to boil until the raw smell of the masalas disappear.
Add in the cashew paste and sauté until the gravy leaves oil.
Now add in the freshly chopped mushrooms and corn. Mix well and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are well cooked.
Finish it off by adding fresh cream. Mix well and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. Serve hot as a side for chapathi, pulao or jeera rice.

Notes

Add equal amount of chopped onions and tomatoes.
Add the masala powder in 1:2:3 ratio.

Bread Boo

by Deerga // June 28, 2015 // No Comments

Bread Boo is a tasty dish made from, as you might have guessed it already, bread. It is a savory item and is very easy to make. I have had this dish made by my mom and my MIL. Bread Boo involves minimum ingredients and I would categorize it as a quick-fix breakfast; something prepared in minutes with less effort.

It had been quite a while since I had eaten Bread Boo until when my MIL made it for me recently. And all my childhood memories came back when I had it. When I was a kid, I was not a big fan of sweetness in general. I always preferred spices and savory items (I still do!). So whenever it was bread and jam for breakfast at our home, my Mom used to prepare Bread Boo for me (my mom tries to make us eat by keeping these different kinds of names 😀 ).

For those who don’t prefer sweet dishes and for those who want variety in their breakfast, Bread Boo is an ideal choice. Also, you can substitute any type of bread in this recipe like raisin bread, wheat bread, oatmeal bread etc. Try this tasty and easy Bread Boo in your kitchen and let me know if it is a tasty breakfast indeed 🙂

Bread Boo

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 2 to 3

Bread Boo is a tasty dish made from bread. It is a savory item and is very easy to make.

Ingredients

Oil – 1 tbsp
Onion, medium, chopped – 1 no
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Tomato, small – 1 no
Salt as required
Homemade sambar powder – ½ tbsp
Red chilli powder – ¼ tsp
Garam masala – a generous pinch
Bread slices – 6 nos
Cilantro, chopped – 1 tbsp

Instructions

Toast the breads slightly, either in a toaster or on a flat pan. Cool them down to room temperature and break or cut to bite size pieces.
Heat a tawa with oil and add finely chopped onions. Sauté until they turn translucent.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears.
Add in tomato and sauté until they turn mushy.
When the tomatoes are well cooked add in all the masala powders ( sambar, red chilli and garam masala) .
Finally add all the toasted bread pieces. Mix well until the masalas are well coated.
Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Notes

You could also add beaten eggs to this dish just after the tomatoes are well cooked and before the masala powders are added.

Mango Bread

by Deerga // June 2, 2015 // No Comments

Today, I was in the mood for something sweet, something that describes the summer season and something healthy. Yep, it has got something to do with Mango. It is the Mango bread! The recipe for Mango bread that I have given below is truly healthy and is a light fare. It has no eggs, is made of wheat flour and has very little added sugar!
I came across this Mango bread recipe online recently and it immediately picked my curiosity. I have heard about banana bread, zucchini bread, raisin bread etc but Mango bread? It was the first time I have heard about it. But trust me, the bread tastes awesome. Mango bread can be had for breakfast or served as a snack. If you are left with more mangoes than you could possibly eat, I would say Mango bread is the way to go.

Mango bread is very easy to make and as said earlier, is healthy as well. Kids would love it. Try baking this unique bread variety in your kitchen and let me know how well you liked it 🙂

Mango Bread

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 55 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 1 (9 x 5 x 3 inches) loaf

Ingredients

1½ cups wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
8 tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1 stick), room temperature
¾ cup sweetened condensed milk
2 large mangoes or 1 cup mango puree
3 to 4 tsp sugar or add as required
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Grease a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inches) with butter or oil on the bottom and on all four sides and set aside.
Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl.
Peel and cut the mangoes (measuring 1 cup tightly packed) and add it to the blender. Add sugar according to your taste and depending on mangoes' sweetness. Blend together in to a puree.
Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit or 180 degree Celsius.
In a large oven safe mixing bowl, heat and melt the butter for 35 seconds. Allow it to cool.
Add in condensed milk to the butter and whisk together in to a smooth mixture.
Add in the mango puree and vanilla or mango essence and whisk together until well combined. – I would highly recommend using mango essence to get the complete flavor in the bread.
Add in the flour and gently fold them together using a spatula. – The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it to be smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread. The batter might look thinner if you are using store bought mango puree.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Shake the pan and even the batter on top using spatula.
Bake in oven (preferably in the middle rack) for 55 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean – I covered the pan with aluminum foil after 35 minutes when it started to turn brown on top.
Turn out the bread onto a wire rack and allow it to cool. Serve the yummy mango bread as hot or cold for a breakfast or brunch or as an evening snack. Enjoy! 

Notes

1.Recipe also suggests to use cardamom powder or cinnamon powder or mango essence in place of vanilla extract.
2.Use a fiber less mangoes.
3.Wheat flour could also be substituted with all purpose flour.

Chicken Mappas

by Deerga // June 1, 2015 // No Comments

Chicken Mappas is a traditional chicken gravy from the state of Kerala, India. It is a very recent dish that I tried and very much liked it 🙂 Mappas is Kerala Christian style of cooking dishes entirely using coconut milk. So as the name suggests Chicken Mappas is chicken cooked in coconut milk 🙂

Chicken Mappas is one dish that tastes totally different than how it looks. It is a watery (stew like) gravy packed with full of flavor. Also, it is one of the easiest and simplest non vegetarian dishes to make. All you need is chicken, coconut oil, turmeric, green chilli and coconut milk. As you might know Kerala cuisine is known for its generous use of coconut oil and in Chicken Mappas that comes to the fore. It serves to be a major source of the dish’s distinct flavor.
Chicken Mappas is an excellent combination for Idiyappam (String Hoppers). It can also be served as a soup. Since coconut milk is used, Chicken Mappas gives you that fullness quiet easily even when had in small quantities. Do try this Mappas in your kitchen and do let me know what else it would go well with other than Idiyappam 🙂

Chicken Mappas

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4

Chicken Mappas is a very simple and traditional Kerela style chicken stew packed with full of flavors.

Ingredients

Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Whole red chilli – 2 nos
Shallots, cut lengthwise – 4 nos
Ginger, minced, crushed – ½ tsp
Garlic, minced, crushed – ½ tsp
Green chilli, finely chopped – 2 nos
Curry leaves – half a sprig
Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Black pepper powder, freshly ground – ½ tsp
Salt as required
Chicken – ½ kg
Coconut milk – ½ cup

for tempering:

Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Whole red chilli – 3 nos
Shallots, cut lengthwise – 6 nos
Curry leaves – half a sprig

Instructions

Heat coconut oil in a flat pan and add red chillies, shallots, ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves one by one. Sauté until onions turn translucent.
Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt. Sauté them and add the chicken. Add ½ cup of water. Stir to mix. Cover and cook until the chicken is well cooked.
Check for salt and finally add the coconut milk and cook for another couple of minutes. Switch off the flame.
Heat a small pan and add coconut oil. Add the above given ingredients one by one and fry until the onions turn golden brown
Add the above tempered mixture to the chicken mappas.
Serve the chicken mappas with hot idiyappams. Enjoy! 

Chicken Frankie

by Deerga // May 25, 2015 // No Comments

I am very partial to non-vegetarian dishes in general and chicken in particular. There are numerous ways to cook chicken, be it an appetizer or an entree or a gravy, you name it and there is a recipe out there. Today, I am going to give you the recipe of one of my favorite chicken dishes, the Chicken Frankie. Chicken Frankie is a popular street food item in India. I was introduced to this amazing food item during my college days (sweet memories :)) There are a number of things that I miss from India like family, friends, mom’s food, marina beach, shopping malls etc and Chicken Frankie is one among them.

Chicken Frankie is basically a type of stuffed roll made from chappati/paratha and chicken. I believe it has its origin from north India (not sure about the exact location but it might have been Mumbai) and is a recent entry to the street food scene in Chennai, India. Chicken Frankie is an easy dish to make. I would say the only time consuming part in the whole process is the slicing of chicken in to small pieces! You can customize Chicken Frankie to suit your own preference like substituting the meat with any vegetables or egg, altering the spiciness etc.

In the US, I am yet to have Chicken Frankie. Agreed, there are similar dishes but I haven’t seen them matching to the tastiness of Chicken Frankie. Interestingly, my HB has never had it back in India :). Hope you too would make it often after trying this delicious and tasty desi street food, the Chicken Frankie, in your home 😉

Frankie

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 6 frankies

Ingredients

for the stuffing:

Oil – 1 tbsp
Cumin seed – 1 tsp
Onion, medium, finely chopped – 1 no
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Tomato, small, finely chopped – 1 no
Green chilli – 1 no
Sambar powder or red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Salt as required
Chicken, cut to small pieces – ½ kg (500 grams)
Cilantro, finely chopped – 1 tbsp

Other ingredients:

Uncooked Chapathi or rotis – 6 nos
Eggs, beaten – 1 no
Chilli sauce – 2 tbsp (optional)
Onion, slits, washed – 1 no (optional)
Oil to smear around rotis

Instructions

Heat oil in a tawa and add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle add in finely chopped onion and sauté until they turn translucent. Add ginger garli paste and sauté until raw smell disappears. Add in chopped tomato and sauté until they turn mushy and leaves oil. Add salt and chilli or homemade sambar powder and give a quick stir. Finally add in the chicken pieces and stir to mix. Cover the lid and cook until the chicken is well done. Open the lid and cook until the excess water evaporates. Garnish with cilantro.
Heat a flat griddle pan and cook roti on one side, apply or brush beaten egg all over using a spoon, smear oil on the sides and flip over. After a minute or two, flip over again (egg side) and place 2 tbsp of the cooked chicken, some onion slits and chilli sauce. Roll them over tightly and wrap aluminum foil on one end of the Frankie. Serve it hot.

Notes

1.Make chapathi dough with equal portion of wheat and all purpose flour.
2.You can make any stuffing of your choice. Vegetarians can make it with mushroom, cauliflower, paneer, etc.
3.Adding chilli sauce is completely optional.

Kadai Paneer

by Deerga // May 19, 2015 // No Comments

Paneer is a type of cheese that is common in South Asian cuisine. Paneer is made by curdling milk with the addition of lime or vinegar. Here in the US, cottage cheese or queso fresco (a variety of Mexican cheese) is the recommended substitutes. There are a variety of dishes made from paneer in north Indian cuisine. Here I have posted the recipe for one such popular dish called Kadai Paneer.
Kadai Paneer literally means paneer that is cooked in a cooking pot. It is a popular dish in Indian restaurants and often served during festivals and in functions. Kadai Paneer is one of the few dishes that I liked in the first taste. The recipe I have given below is of restaurant style Kadai Paneer. It is spicy and colorful dish (mainly because of the bell peppers) and goes well with chappati (or any Indian flatbreads), pulav/pulao etc.
For Kadai Paneer, fresh ingredients are the key. You have to make the ingredients like crushed ginger garlic, coriander powder and chilli powder only when it is time for them to be added, unlike other recipes where they are prepared beforehand. Try this restaurant style Kadai Paneer and enjoy it with hot rotis on a lay afternoon like I do – It does feel heavenly. 🙂

Kadai Paneer

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

Cumin seed – a pinch
Onion, medium, finely chopped – ½ no
Garic cloves – 4 nos
Ginger – ¾”
Tomatoes, big, finely chopped – 2 nos
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Red chilli flakes – ½ tsp
Green or red bell pepper or capsicum, julienned – ½ no
Green chilli, finely chopped – 1 nos
Salt as required
Garam masala – a pinch
Paneer, cut to cubes – ½ pk
Kasthoori methi leaves or dry fenugreek leaves – 1 ½ tsp
Ginger, julienned – ¼ “
Cilantro, finely chopped - for garnishing

Instructions

Heat a kadai and add oil. When the oil is hot add cumin seeds. Wait until they start to sizzle. Add finely chopped onion. Sauté until they turn translucent. Meanwhile crush ginger and garlic in a motor and pestle.
Add the crushed ginger and garlic. Sauté until the raw smell disappears.
Add in finely chopped tomato and sauté well in a low flame. Meanwhile coarsely pulse the coriander seed and red chilli flakes for very few seconds. See notes below.
Add the coriander powder and mix well. Sauté and cook until oil separates.
Add in the julienned capsicum and green chilli. Mix and sauté them for couple of minutes until capsicum is half cooked – you could add very little water if you feel the mixture is dry.
Add salt and garam masala. Stir to mix.
Add in the paneer cubes and mix until the masala is well coated. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add kasthoori methi, julienned ginger and coriander leaves. Stir and cook for another couple of minutes and switch off the flame.
Serve delicious kadai paneer with any pulao or roti. Enjoy!

Notes

1.Fresh ingredients are the key for this recipe. Make crushed ginger garlic and coriander powder then and there when needed.
2.I added chilli flakes so it took me only very few seconds to blend them to a coarse powder. You could also add one red chilli in place of chilli flakes.
3.The coriander mixture has to be coarse and do not blend it to fine powder.

Kovilpatti Chicken Kuzhambu

by Deerga // May 17, 2015 // No Comments

Today, I am posting a recipe given to me by my friend who hails from Kovilpatti, a southern town in my home state of Tamilnadu in India. Kovilpatti is famous for its yummy kadalamittai (a sweet variety made from peanuts), matchstick and fireworks industry. Actually, the recipe is of chicken gravy but I have named it as Kovilpatti chicken kuzhambu in honor of my dear friend.:)
Kovilpatti Chicken Kuzhambu is a very tasty chicken gravy and the recipe does not have coconut as one of the ingredients. One other uniqueness of this gravy is the use of castor oil and believe it or not, it enhances the flavor. And Kovilpatti Chicken Kuzhambu is my HB’s favorite chicken gravy and is one of the recipes that are often made in our home.
Kovilpatti Chicken Kuzhambu goes well with white rice, dosa, chappati etc. Also, I would suggest using country chicken (naatu kozhi) for the gravy, if available since that is what is used back home for any chicken recipe. It gives excellent taste to the gravy and also an authenticity to the recipe. 🙂

Kovilpatti Chicken Kuzhambu

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 3

Ingredients

To grind:

Ginger – 1”
Garlic cloves – 8 nos
Green chillies – 2
Shallots – 6

Other ingredients:

Gingely oil – 3 tbsp
Bay leaf – 1 no
Cinnamon stick – ½ “
Fennel seeds – a pinch
Onion, big, finely chopped – 1 no
Tomato, big, finely chopped – 1 no
Chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 2 tbsp
Whole black pepper, freshly ground, powdered – 1 tbsp
Cumin powder -1 tsp
Garam masala powder – a pinch
Salt - as required
Chicken – ½ kg (750 grams)
Cilantro – for garnishing
Castor oil – 3 drops

Instructions

Grind all the given ingredients under ‘to grind’ and make a fine paste.
Heat oil in a thick bottomed sauce pan and add bay leaf, cinnamon and fennel seeds. When they start to sizzle add in the chopped onions and sauté until they turn translucent.
Add the ground paste and sauté until the raw smell of shallots disappear.
Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté until oil gets separated.
Now add in all the powders (chilli, coriander, cumin, pepper, garam masala) along with salt and give a quick stir. Lower the flame and add very little water. Sauté until the raw smell disappears.
Finally add in the cleaned chicken pieces, stir well until the masalas are well coated on the chicken. Add a cup of water and check for salt. Cover the lid and cook in low to medium flame for 15 minutes or until the chicken is well cooked.
Add few drops of castor oil on top and cook for another couple of minutes. Switch off the flame and garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.
Enjoy this excellent kovilpatti chicken kuzhambu with white rice or any Indian rotis! 

Notes

1.Adding castor oil is to enhance the taste. You could also use coconut oil instead.
2.This gravy tastes good as it is. In case if you want add richness to the gravy (or making a big batch) you can either add ½ a cup of coconut milk and cashew paste or you could just add yogurt.
3.I like my gravy to be thick so I added just a cup of water. You can adjust it according to your own taste.

Banana Kesari

by Deerga // May 10, 2015 // No Comments

First of all, A very Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely mothers out there 🙂 You are the best. As a tribute to moms and in a way representing their sweet nature, today I have given below a very popular south Indian sweet, Banana Kesari. Kesari is a south Indian delicacy which is often served as a dessert. It is made of sooji (semolina) and is also called as sooji halwa in north India. There are different varieties of Kesari like beet root, pineapple, banana, bread, fruit etc. Banana Kesari is a favorite of my HB (anything made from sooji for that matter :))

Banana Kesari is very easy to prepare and involves minimal ingredients, i.e., banana, sooji, ghee, sugar and cashews. As with many sweet items, patience is the key here, especially when adding the sooji to the boiling water during the preparation. Believe it or not, I was not very good in making Kesari initially. In fact, my friends used to make fun of my Kesari but I have come a long way now such that I have started making different varieties in Kesari 🙂
Once again, a very happy Mother’s day to all moms, new moms and expectant moms. As Rudyard Kipling said, “ God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers”. Enjoy the sweet Banana Kesari with the sweetest person in the world, your Mother 🙂

Banana Kesari

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Semolina – 1 cup
Ghee – 6 tbsp
Water – 2 ½ cups
Yellow food color – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 cup
Banana, big, peeled, smashed – 1 no
Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Cashews – 10 nos

Instructions

Heat a nonstick tawa with a tbsp of ghee. Add in semolina and sauté until the raw smell disappears. It takes around 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to a bowl.
In the same pan add a tbsp of ghee and fry the cashews until golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
Add water in the same pan and bring it to boil. Add food color.
When the water starts to boil, slowly add sautéed semolina little by little, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
When all the water is absorbed, add in sugar and banana. Mix well and add the remaining ghee.
Finally add in the cardamom powder and fried cashews. Mix well. Add ghee if needed. Serve hot. Enjoy!!!

Notes

1.It is always best to use non stick tawa while making kesari.
2.Be very careful while adding semolina to the boiling water. make it quick and stir constantly to avoid lumps.
3.To make cardamom powder, grind together few whole green cardamoms with a tbsp of sugar.
4.You can substitute any fruits (pineapple, jackfruit, tutti frutti, plums, beetroot, etc) or even with bread and it is called bread halwa.