Rava / Sooji / Semolina Kesari(Indian Sweet)

Hii..friends..here is a quick and tasty sweet recipe for Diwali. Rava kesari is a common sweet in South and North India. This is a perfect and simple recipe.Anyone can try this recipe even those who are  lazy in kitchen .:-) Hope you will enjoy this sweet feast....Happy healthy and sweet Diwali:-)

recipe type - sweet
cooking time - 15 to 20 mins
serve - 6 to 8

Ingredients:-

• rava / sooji / semolina - 1 cup
• sugar - 2 cup ( adjust to your taste )
• milk - 2 cups
• water - 1/2 cup
• ghee - 3 tbs
• cashew nuts and raisins - 10 each 
• warm milk - 1 tbs 
• saffron  - 1 pinch
• cardamom powder - 1tsp
• kesar food colour - a pinch ( dilute in a tbs water)
• cashew nuts and raisins ( for garnishing )

Method:-

Add saffron to 1 tbs of warm milk and keep a side.Heat the pan roast rava  for 5 to 10 mins until it turn in to light brown.remove it and  keep a side. Add  1 tbs ghee to the pan and fry raisins and cashew nuts until it turns golden brown  and keep a side.Boil the milk and water in the same pan. When  boil add roasted rava. Stir continuously to prevent lumps forming. Add sugar. Add ghee. Stir continuously.Add kesar colour liquid and saffron milk. Stir well until mixture thicken. Add cardamom powder and roasted cashew nuts and raisins. Remove from heat.apply some ghee on a medium deep tray , place the cooked kesari in it. Use a spoon and level it. sprinkle some ghee over it. leave it for some time for setting. Cut it into desirable shapes and garnish with any dry fruits...serve and enjoy it.

Prawns/ Shrimps with Curry leaves Fry(Konju kariveppilla Fry)

Hi guys..... hope everyone is good. Are you exhausted from reading my long recipes and cooking experience???  don't worry :-) Here I give a simple but royal recipe for you. I am sure all of you like my this magic dish very much because it is one of my families favourite.

recipe type:- starter/ side dish

serve:- 2 to 3
cooking time - 15 mins

Ingredients:-

• prawns/ shrimps  - 250 g ( pealed and cleaned but keep the tail)
• ginger (small piece), garlic (2 cloves ) ,shallots (2 piece) ,curry leaf (4 to 6) - make a paste
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• chilly powder - 1 tsp
• pepper powder - 1 tsp
• meat masala - 1/2 tsp
• yogurt/lime - 1 tsp
• curry leaves - 2 stems
• salt - as your taste
• oil - for frying

Method:-

marinate all the ingredients except oil with the curry leaves. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 mins. Heat oil in a pan. Fry prawns with the curry leaves till golden brown. Serve it hot and crispy. Enjoy!!

tips:- yogurt gives a fresher taste. If anyone dislike yogurt choose lime instead.



Mutton Stew

           

   Mutton Stew is a Kerala style Christian dish. It reminds me of my mom's Christmas and Easter breakfasts in my childhood days.It brings back fond memories of my childhood. During those days I would enjoy the stew with appam or bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner till the pan get empty:-) yeah! She is an excellent stew maker and  is the best for me. Here I will attempt to share that recipe with you. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I do. I usually use home made meat masala in my magic kitchen. It gives a special taste and smell.

cooking time:- 30 to 45 mins
Recipe type:- side dish
serve :- 4 to 5

Ingredients for meat masala:-

• Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
• cloves  - 4 pieces
• cardamom - 4 pieces
• fennel seed - one pinch

( roast all the spices and make it to powder form )



Ingredients for pressure cook :-

•  mutton with bones - 500 gm (cut in to 1/2 inch cubes )
• carrot - 1 ( cut in to 1/2 inch cubes)
• potato - 2 ( cut in to 1/2 inch cubes)
• big onion - 1 ( sliced)
• green chilly - 4 ( slit length wise )
• ginger - 1/2 tbs (chopped or crushed)
• garlic - 1/2 tbs ( chopped or crushed)
• meat masala - 1 tsp
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• pepper powder -  1 tsp
• water - 1 cup
• curry leaves
• salt to taste

Ingredients for the stew:-

• oil - 1 tbs
• ginger - 1 tsp (crushed/chopped)
• garlic - 1 tsp ( crushed/chopped)
• shallots - 1 cup ( chopped)  
• tomato  - 1 medium size ( sliced)
• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• meat masala - 1 tsp
• pepper powder - 1 tsp
• cashew nut powder - 1tbs
• milk ( coconut/ cow's) - 2 cup (thick)
• curry leaves
• salt

Method:-

Cook  the ingredients for the pressure cook. Turn off the heat after 2 whistle. keep aside until pressure is  released. Heat the oil in a deep pan. Add chopped ginger, garlic, shallots and curry leaves.stir until golden brown. Add chopped tomatoes.stir tomatoes until soft. Add pepper and meat masala powder.Pour the cooked pressure cooker ingredients with the stock. Add water if needed. Cook in medium heat. cook to reduce the liquid quantity to 1/3. Reduce heat. Add milk and cashew nut powder, stir well.Do not allow the stew to boil once the milk has been added. Add salt to taste if needed. Sprinkle some pepper powder for taste and smell. Turn off the heat and serve hot.Enjoy your stew.

Tips:- Serve mutton stew with palappam or bread.



Eat Fresh...Live Fresh :-)

Spaghetti With Bolognese Sauce(Italian with Rani's Magic)

Ingredients for the sauce:

 Beef / chicken - 300 g (minced)

olive oil/any veg oil -  2 tbs

spices:

Dried oregano - 1 tea spoon

Dried basil leaves - 1 tea spoon

Ground thyme - 1 tea spoon

red chili powder - 1 tbs

black pepper powder - 1 1/2 tbs

all spice powder - a pinch

Vegetables:

Carrots - 2 medium size(diced finely)

celery - 1 rib(diced finely)

capsicum( red /yellow/green) - 1 medium size ( diced finely)

garlic - 6 cloves(chopped finely)

 large onions  - 2 medium size( chopped finely )

Tomato - 3 medium size (chopped finely)

tomato puree - boil 4 tomatoes and blend it

grated cheese - 2 tbs for serving(optional)

water - 2 cup

Salt - as your taste

Method:

Heat the oil into a sizable sauce pan over a medium heat. Fry the chopped onions and garlics .Add minced meat and all the spices. Fry until the meat is brown. Add chopped tomatoes and stir well. After that put the remaining vegetables and stir continuously and add tomato puree and stir again. Finally add water and salt to taste. Cover the pan with a lid.Cook it for 20-30 minutes in a medium heat.Then remove the lid and cook the sauce until gravy form. Turn off the heat.Thereby the spicy bolognese sauce is ready. You can serve it with cooked spaghetti noodles/pasta with grated cheese.

How to make spaghetti noodles/pasta?

Ingredients:

spaghetti noodles/pasta - 500 g (serving per package 5-6 people)

Water - 4 liters( 500 g of pasta usually needs 4 liters of water)

salt - 2 table spoons

Oil - 2 table spoons( adding oil to the boiling water prevents the pasta from sticking)

Method:

Heat a large pot with water(you need a large pot with enough space so that pasta will not stick together).When the water is boiled add oil and salt.Then add pasta in the boiling water.No need to cover the pot or else water might over flow.Cook it for 9-10 minutes .To check if pasta is cooked, take and cut a piece of pasta to see if it is cooked in the inside, if not cooked then let it cook for 1-5 minutes.Then drain the pasta and shock them in cold water.Remember, the heat in the heap will continue cooking the noodles to a soggy bunch. When the noodles is ready, you could serve it with bolognese sauce.

Bon Appetit...enjoy!!!!



vermicelli / Semiya / Kheer Payasam (An Indian sweet dessert)

Ingredients:-
Vermicelli/semiya - 1 cup(broken in to small pieces)
sago pearls (chauwari) - 1/4 cups
sugar - 1 cup (as your taste)
Ghee - 3 tbsp
cows milk - 3 cups
coconut milk - 1 cup (thick)
water - 1 1/2 cups
cashew nuts - 10 pieces
raisins - 10 pieces
cardamom (elakka) - 4pieces (crushed to powder form)
salt - a pinch 
Method
Wash the sago and boil it with 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of water. Add sugar (1spn) and stir constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan until it becomes translucent .Lower the heat and leave it for 15 mins. Stir occasionally.Keep aside.
Heat one spoon of ghee in a thick bottomed pan ( like small urulli ) and fry the cashew nuts and raisins till  golden brown, remove and keep aside. Roast the vermicelli in the remaining ghee till  golden brown , remove and set it aside. Heat the cow's milk with the remaining water in the same pot and boil it .Once it boiled, reduce the heat and add the remaining sugar and mix well. Place the roasted vermicelli and stir well . Then cook uncovered and stir with a spatula or big spoon continuously.Make sure it doesn't  stick at the bottom of the pan.When the vermicelli is cooked, put in the  cooked sago and mix well. Add a pinch of salt for taste. Add coconut milk and cardamom powder. Hmmmm....it's smells fragrant with rich aroma.Then turn of the heat.Don't boil the Payasam too long.
Finally add the fried cashew nuts and raisins and mix well.Yummy Payasam is ready!:-) Serve hot or chilled and enjoy!
Tips
If you refrigerate the payasam, it will be tastier and creamy .

Fish Curry/ varutharacha meen curry ( Kerala Style )

Please visit here for the recipe..

http://www.raniskitchenmagic.com/

Thanks
Rani Vijoo