2014 Special-Chettinad Karupatti Paniyaram / Palm Jaggery Fritters(கருப்பட்டி பணியாரம் )

Karupatti paniyarams are synonymous with festive occasions like pillaiyar nonbu and special padaippu
(offerings to ancestors) in chettinad. When we make this, festive season will be around the corner. Like some people say cake baking during winter gives the festive feel. Usually my mom or mother-in-law will give me the dough. Last year I made the dough myself and was so happy. This time too I tried it again and it came out super yummy.
I made this paniyaram for pillaiyar nonbu. I made vada, vellai paniyaram, idly  and sambar along with it and offered it to Ganesha. All of them were very good and we enjoyed it.

Preparation time:1 hour(Except keeping them at room temperature for 2 days)
Cooking time :1 hour
Yields:32

Fresh mango pickle/மாங்கா தொக்கு

Mango is one veggie which has fiber ,vitamin A,Potassium and lots of mineral in it .Include mango in your diet often.This is family favourite of ours , my mom used to do it and we used to gobble it up. This pickle can be an accompaniment for curd rice or sambhar rice as well as for dosas. The freshness of mango ,little jaggery, chili powder will blow your taste buds away. There are no preservatives and its very fresh so you can give it to kids.

If you are looking for sidedish with mango try Mangodal curry

Preparation time:5-10 min(grating the mango)
Cooking time:30-40 min
Yields:1/2 cup

Eggless Oatmeal Cookies|Healthy Cookies

     Egg less oatmeal cookies is a light sugary ,crunchy, healthy cookie with wheat flour.Because of the addition of butter its on high calorie end.You can use eggs instead of milk.You can skip the milk and use water too.Its a healthy cookies because there is a lot of oats in here ,i used wheat flour instead of regular flour to bind the oats.
    Cookies are every body's favourite especially here in US ,even grown kids(adults) love it. This Oatmeal cookie has more cinnamon which makes a heavenly aroma while baking  and gives a nice touch of flavour while eating. For this holiday season this is the best recipe to bake for your kids and for yourself.

     To understand the difference between baking soda and baking powder use this link. The recipe ask for baking soda but I had only baking powder so  used the above link to substitute 1 tsp of baking soda with 2 tsp of baking powder.
    Recently i did this Oatmeal cookies to gift our neighbours they are vegetarians so i tried egg less version and got a chance to picture these Healthy oatmeal cookies again.
 

Sabudana kheer/Javarisi payasam(ஜவ்வரிசி பாயாசம் )

For a festival or a celebration commonly we make sweets to express our happiness and share our joy.In south india only during diwali time people used to make sweets (these days we do it whenever , I am talking about may be the last generation). For smaller festive occasions like full moon day or navarathri people make kheer because it is very easy to make and its loved by everyone in the family. I made this kheer for a small family occasion.
Check similar white desserts like Candy Rice,Cocoa-Coconut fudge,Kaju Katli

Preparation time:5 min
Cooking time:45-50 min
Serves:2-3

10 minute kanda Poha (அவல் உப்புமா )

Poha is flattened rice which has lots of vitamin c and iron in it. Its very filling whenever we eat this, for breakfast or snack or dinner. The color the poha gets is from turmeric. You can add potato to this I never tried it though. I usually add peanuts to give a little crunch and make it even more healthier.
I am a fan of this upma. When we lived in India my cook used to do this for morning breakfast .I learnt it from her, the way she do it with love for cooking and with a smiley face, I love her a lot. I miss her a lot here ....
This recipe is very easy to make and it will be ready in 5 minutes. When you come from office tired this gives you much energy to prepare a delicious dinner for your family .

Check other upma varieties like Lemon semolina bath,Rava kichadi

Preparation time:10 min
Serves:2