Amma Jevayala

 Chakkarai Pongal - sweet rice made specially during Pongal  Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - Yellow Split Moong dal - 1/2 cup Rice - 1/2 cup Jaggery - 3/4th cup . Can adjust as per sweetness preferred  Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Raisins - 10/15 Cashews - 10/15 Ghee - 1/2 cup  Water - 3 cups Milk - 1/2 cup  Procedure - 1. First in a fry pan dry roast moong dal and rice together . Lightly roast them and allow to cool . 2. Then pressure cook dal and rice together with 3 cups of water and add a pinch of salt while cooking 3. In tadka vessel , heat ghee and nicely fry raisins and cashews till they puff up and become golden in color. Keep them aside . 4. We will use a saucepan for making Pongal . Traditionally , Pongal is made in a Pot and allowed to boil nicely , thereby everyone around exclaiming "Pongalo Pongal" which means Boil Pongal .  5. Heat sauce pan and add powdered Jaggery to it . Add 2 tbsp of water and mix well . Ideally dark colored jaggery is ...

 Peanut Jaggery Ladoo or Danyacha Ladoo - a must have during winter and also to load up your iron levels .  Quantity - Makes 15 regular sized ladoos Ingredients - Peanuts - 1 and half cup (with or without skin) Jaggery - 1 cup Ghee - 2 tbsp  Procedure - 1. Heat a kadai and dry roast peanuts nicely . Keep flame on medium so that the peanuts are well roasted . It will take around 10/15 mins to dry roast the peanuts . Keep stirring in between and keep and eye that the peanuts do not burn . 2. Allow peanuts to cool down . If using peanuts with skin , once cooled , remove the skin of peanuts partially .  3.  Then , grind peanuts into a coarse powder . Do not grind into fine powder .   4. Next , take one cup of jaggery powdered . Mix the ground peanuts with jaggery nicely . And then grind this mixture . Do not over grind . Remove in a plate .  5. Heat ghee and add it to the peanut jaggery mixture and mix well .  6. Now your ladoo mixture is ready ....

 Instant pot Ghee - tried and tasted recipe . Lasts for 3 months at least Quantity - 3 months of ghee Ingredients - Kerry Gold Unsalted butter - 8 packs of 8 oz each .  Procedure - 1. Unwarp all 8 packs of kerry gold butter into instant pot . Switch on the instant pot in slow cook mode for 2 hrs .  2. After 2 hrs , press saute mode and put timer of 20 mins . However , at this stage you need to be around the instant pot to keep stirring in between and keep an eye . 3. In about 5/10 mins  , you will see milk solids appearing on top and crackling sound . Watch out and make sure your butter does not start turning brown - that is the time you switch off the instant pot and remove the steel pot and let it cool . If not , allow the cracking sound to disappear and also milk solids will settle - approx 20 mins saute works perfectly. 4. Then remove the inner pot and let it cool . In 5 mins , with the help of a strainer , strain all the ghee into your storage container or tupac...

 Tandulachi Ukaad - often made in my house for evening tiffin/snacks . There is a similar version of this dish which is made in MIL'S house called "Mor Kuzhu" .  Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - Rice flour - 5/6 tbsp Sour buttermilk - 2 cups  Green chillies/Mor Molagai - 3/4 as per spice Curry leaves - one strand  Hing - to temper Haldi - to temper Mustard seeds - to temper Jeera - to temper Peanut oil - for cooking Salt - as per taste  Procedure - 1. Heat a saucepan . In meanwhile , combine rice flour and buttermilk and mix nicely . Ensure no lumps are formed . 2. Once the saucepan is hot , put oil . Once oil is hot , add tadka items -mustard seeds , jeera , haldi , hing . Fry for a min till the seeds splutter and then add finely chopped green chillies and curry leaves . Fry for another minute . 3. Then add the prepared rice flour and buttermilk mixture and keep the gas flame low medium . Stir everything well and mix with tadka . Add salt as per taste and ...

 Banana bread - easy recipe and perfect to enjoy with you hot chocolate during winter months Quantity - makes a 9x9 inch loaf of bread Ingredients - Dry ingredients : Maida/All purpose flour - 1 and 1/3 cup  Baking Soda  - 1/2 tsp White powdered sugar - 2/3 cup Cinnamon/Nutmeg - 1 tsp as per choice Salt - as per taste Wet Ingredients - Bananas - 3 ripe Unsalted softened butter - 5 tbsp Eggs - 2 at room temperature  Procedure: 1. Preheat oven to 350 F .  2. Now in a bowl , mix all dry ingredients together . In another big bowl , mash the bananas and add butter and eggs as well . Mix everything well. 3. Now pour the dry ingredients into wet and with a spatula combine everything well . Mix properly till it forms a nice pourable batter. 4. Take a loaf tin and butter it from inside properly . Now pour our prepared batter and tap couple of time so get an even layer of batter on top. 5. Bake for 40-45 mins and check if fork/knife comes out clean once poked in the baked...

 Besan Pithale or Jhunka - classic simple and healthy recipe to keep you full . Quantity - for 2 people dinner Ingredients- Besan - 6-7 tbsp  Garlic pods - 3/4 as per taste Green chillies - 3/4 as per spice Onion - one small or half medium  Mustard seeds - to temper Hing - to temper Haldi - to temper Jeera seeds - to temper Fresh coriander leaves - finely chopped for garnish Peanut oil - for cooking  Salt - as per taste Water - 4/5 cups as per desired consistency  Procedure - 1. Heat oil in a kadai or pan . While it is getting hot , finely chop onions , green chillies , garlic and keep them ready . 2. Once oil is hot , add tadka items - mustard , jeera seeds , hing, haldi . Fry them nicely till the seeds splutter . Then add chopped green chillies , garlic and onion . Mix well and saute . 3. Add salt to onions and fry till the onions are cooked . In the meantime , add water to besan and mix them well so that there are no lumps formed . Add little salt and keep it...