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Name: South Indian Payasam with dal, rice & coconut milk | Arisi paruppu payasam
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup rice; 2 tbsp Moong dal; 1 tbsp chana dal; ½ cup jaggery (powdered or crushed); ¼ cup coconut milk; 4-6 cashews (halved); A pinch of cardamom powder; 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil; 1 ½ cup water or more

South Indian Payasam with dal, rice & coconut milk| Arisi paruppu payasam

October 26, 2016 by Nupur 3 Comments

One thing about Indian food that never fails to amaze me, is the diversity in the cuisines of individual states and sub regions. How we all share the love towards food and let our lives revolve around it.. How we all love to celebrate our culture and traditions weaving around this eternal love and how we keep our basic dishes the same yet they all are so different in taste and textures. Isnt it absolutely amazing?

If you are from north side of India, you must have had the most popular and common dessert of all- Kheer. Kheer or kheera or kheerni as it is called in different regions, is an Indian rice pudding made using, well rice and milk. Some add nuts to it, some add saffron or cardamom, just to bring in extra flavours and make it more rich than it already is.

Payasam is for south India what kheer is for us northerners. Basic rice pudding where they use jaggery instead of sugar (in most cases) and usually any type of lentil is added to make it healthier and richer in texture and taste. There is a wide range of payasams with different recipes and lentils. One such payasam is this green moong dhal payasam which is as healthy as it is tasty. And it gets ready in under 30 minutes.

Adding lentils make payasam rich in proteins and since jaggery is added instead of sugar, it is high in iron as well. Coconut milk also contributes in the sweetness, making this dessert a fairly healthy dessert with a balanced mix of carbs, proteins and iron. This is the reason I love to have payasams for breakfast time when the metabolism is high and eating sweet do less harm to the body.

Check out more Protein rich recipes here.

Payasams are usually prepared for Pooja/Neivedhyam purposes or festivals like Diwali, Navratri, Pongal, Onam etc. You could also add some milk to the recipe or skip coconut milk entirely as per your taste and preference. This is a Tamil speciality and is known as Arisi paruppu payasam in local language.

Do write to me if you try this recipe and it comes out to be good. Even if not, I would love to hear from you. Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see more of these recipes and inside fun.

South Indian Payasam with dal, rice & coconut milk | Arisi paruppu payasam

Delicious South Indian payasam with moong dal, chana dal, coconut milk and jaggery.

Course Sweet | Dessert

Cuisine South Indian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Author Nupur @ The Veggie Indian

Ingredients

¼ cup rice
2 tbsp Moong dal
1 tbsp chana dal
½ cup jaggery powdered or crushed
¼ cup coconut milk
4-6 cashews halved
A pinch of cardamom powder
2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
1 ½ cup water or more

Instructions

Rinse rice properly and soak for 20 minutes. Roast cashew halves in a tsp of ghee/coconut oil and keep aside.
Heat ghee/coconut oil in a pressure cooker. Roast moong dal and chana dal at low gas till they lentils turn golden. Add rice and roast for about a minute.
Keep stirring so it doesnt stick at the bottom.
Add water, mix and cook till 3-4 whistles at medium gas. Open the cooker once the pressure eases off and mash slightly.
Add jaggery powder and adjust the water quantity. Simmer for a few minutes until jaggery dissolves.
Turn the flame to low, add coconut milk and cardamom powder. Simmer further for a few minutes. Turn off the gas, add roasted cashew halves and serve hot.

Recipe Notes

Coconut milk can be replaced with milk but traditionally coconut milk is added to get the best flavours. DO NOT boil the payasam after adding coconut milk as it may break, so just heat it up at low gas. This payasam becomes thick as it cools down so you could add more coconut milk/milk at the time of serving incase if it becomes very thick. You can also add some grated coconut along with the coconut milk.

More kheer recipes-

Vermicelli kheer

Carrot kheer

Sheer khurma

Rice kheer

Cabbage kheer

Kerala style Egg roast | Rich ‘n spicy egg curry with coconut milk

July 1, 2015 by Nupur Leave a Comment

This is one recipe I have kept in the drafts for months and now when I am craving for it, I decided to post it too. The photos are obviously very old due to the fact I made and clicked it 2 years ago. But the taste was so amazing I had to post it. I will try to click the photos again and repost the recipe.

I had it the first time in a small restaurant near Munnar, Kerala. I was there with family on a short trip. The weather was awesome, the food was wonderful and overall it was a brilliant place to be. We were out for a walk after all the shopping and sightseeing when we saw this tiny food joint at the corner of the road. We thought to have a look at the food first and then decide whether to eat there or not.

At the very first glance, I saw a person being served this Egg curry and something which looked like dosa but different in shape. I had to eat it! I manipulated everyone else in the group to sit down and have dinner then and there. And honestly, I have never had better Kerala food ever in my life. Before or after that.

The egg roast was served with appam (I had it first time then) and some vegetable stew aside. I am a fan of egg curries anyway, and that one became my instant favourite. The medley of spices and a tang of coconut milk was an amazing experience to have.

I have tried to recreate the same magic at home looking at the recipes on internet. It never comes out the same but I think that’s because of the local produce and flavours. I don’t always add coconut milk to the curry to keep it high on spice level and I usually serve with Parathas since I am very bad at making apppams.

This is a must try recipe for egg lovers. And a perfect weekend or Party dish.

More Egg recipes-> Shakshuka – baked eggs in rich tomato sauce | Indian style masala omelette | Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese | Punjabi Egg curry | Indian scrambled eggs (egg bhurji)

Cuisine: Kerala, Indian
Course: Main or side
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Serves: 3-5 people

What you need?

5-6 eggs, hard boiled.
2 large onions, chopped roughly
2-3 green chilies, split lengthwise
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2-3 large tomatoes, chopped small
½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 pinch of Garam masala powder
A handful of curry leaves
3-4 tbsp of coconut milk
About 1 tbsp salt OR to taste
3 tbsp Oil
4-5 tbsp of water

How to make?

Peel off the eggs, poke them with knife and keep aside in a large bowl full of warm water. This will keep them soft while you do the rest of the work.

Heat oil in a wok, tip in the onion and green chilies. Fry for a minute at high flame. Add in curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and sauté for 2 minutes at low flame. Add in all the spices and tomatoes and mix well. Cook everything together for a few minutes till tomatoes get mushy.

Add water and mix. Bring the masala to a boil and place eggs in between. Fold them gently to coat the masala evenly.

Add coconut milk, mix and simmer for about 7-8 minutes at medium flame, turning the eggs once or twice in between. Check the consistency and turn off. You may garnish the roast with fresh coriander leaves when serving.

Notes:

You may puree the tomatoes, I like the chunky texture so have kept the chopped pieces intact.
You may skip the coconut milk here if you want your curry to be spicy and hot.
One of my friends roast the coriander seeds first, grind them fresh and then add to the roast. it gives an extra punch to the taste. You may try it too

I have another 15 minute recipe for Egg roast which is simpler and doesn’t require as much work

Absolute Vegan Banana bread – with coconut milk and no sugar

September 23, 2013 by Nupur 13 Comments

I LOVE the smell of banana bread baking in the oven! Don’t you? It’s so intoxicating. The aroma fills the whole house and it’s just plain torture waiting for it to finish baking. It’s so worth the wait though. Moist, walnut-studded bread with the pure sweetness of ripe bananas. I could eat a slice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I might even sneak a piece for a late-night snack too.

This loaf of gluten free banana bread is also egg and dairy free, making it totally vegan. If you are scared by a recipe that says it is “vegan” there is no need to be. It simply means there are no animal ingredients used. It’s magically tender and is everything you love about banana bread. I promise it will not disappoint…and as soon as it’s gone, you’ll be in the kitchen baking up another loaf!Believe it or not, this cake is sugar-free, butter-free, dairy-free and egg-free.This recipe is fairly versatile. I’ve made several variations in the past and you may add walnuts, raisins, or swirl in some peanut butter or even nutella (note: nutella is not vegan). The original recipe called for sugar but I omitted it. You can also replace flour with almond meal for a gluten-free version.The cake had a natural sweetness and was really moist and fluffy. Perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea — any time of the day really. According to those who have tried it, it is best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea so I made black tea and had almost half of the cake at one go 😛

Having said that, I have received this really cool glass kettle from the store Red Candy. A very attractive addition to my kitchen gadgets, I would love to showcase this for my tea parties and evening get togethers. It held the temperature for a long time, for around 60-70 minutes and its very light weight, not to mention so trendy.

The really cool thing about this store is that it is dedicated to the colour red. Be it home furnishing, interior accessories, kitchen stuff or gifts, red is the colour you’ll get them in. They have some really innovative products and designs and some of them make really cool gifts. I specially like their collection of trendy wall clocks; do check the store out, am sure you will find your next gift there 🙂

What you need?
1 cupsAll purpose flour ( APF )
1/2 cup Whole wheat flour (WWF)
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 ripe banana, mashed
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup dessicated coconut (unsweetened )
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

How to make?
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare 9×5-inch loaf pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dessicated coconut and mix well.
In large mixing bowl, combine the mashed banana and oil, mix well. Add coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla essence and whisk everything together for 2-3 minutes
Add the flour mixture gently and stir for 1 minute, until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-42 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with tea 🙂

My Notes:
Slice and store bread in ziploc bag or air-tight container, will stay fresh for upto a week
Goes really well with tea and coffee
You may replace dessicated coconut with sugar, if you like sweet breads. It was just fine for me , although I would like to replace half of the coconut with sugar next time.
The usage of WWF had made this bread a bit dense, you may want to avod it if you like your breads fluffy. For personal use, this was good but for a party you may like the APF version better
Add nuts, like walnut and raisins for a richer taste.

**With thanks to Red Candy, for sending me this beautiful kettle, follow them on FB to participate in their giveaways and check out the trendy new collection.

Linked to Bake Fest -34 hosted by Full Scoops and started by Cooks Joy

Coconut Milk Brownies, with creamy coconuty spread

August 6, 2013 by Nupur 25 Comments

I am not a big fan of Chocolate, and people react to this fact very strangely. It’s like I tell someone “ I am a vegetarian” and they open the eyes wide and ask “Do you not eat fish as well?” And I repeat, “No, I am a vegetarian”. Similarly I have had my share of Chocolate amusements as well. Once I told one of my “train buddies” that I am not that interested in Chocolates and she fondled her Bag confusedly to take out a big bar of Thornton’s and said “ Not even this?” I was like, meh!? She gave me a horrified look and since then she has tried to make me eat every known chocolate brand in the world. Thank you P for your constant love shower and chocolates which my husband is gulping down happily since then 😀

I don’t understand why girls are expected to love Chocolates more than anything else in the world anyway. I am not too fond of them, though I do like having some Dark Chocolate bite time to time, but then that’s it. I don’t like chocolate Ice creams, Chocolate cookies, even Chocolate cakes. Again, depends on my mood and the taste obviously but I won’t go crazy over some triple Chocolate fantasy as some people do. Hence when Anusha from Tomato blues announced her new challenge of making a chocolate Brownie with something more than chocolate, I was both puzzled and curious. I started with making a list of all combinations in Chocolate that I like, although eventually I ended up making a list of what I don’t like instead. But I figured out that I can stand dark chocolate Bounty for some reason. So there I knew I wanted to blend Coconut flavour in my brownies, so here we go… Chocolate Brownies with Coconut cream topping.

They were amazing in taste, and texture. Since I had used Coconut milk in the batter as well, the flavour was very prominent and even. The brownies base was fudgy and crusty on top. This recipe is a combination of two recipes I found online, here and here. And I put some of my own ideas like adding cardamom powder etc. These little devils went straight to a get together and everyone from kids to their parents enjoyed them. I can’t say these are “healthy” brownies, but surely they have fresh coconut and less amount of sugar so you can say they are better than the usual brownies. And there is no butter used, so yes they are definitely better.

As I was saying last time, that we went to this Media event in London for promoting Bloggers’ Buzz, and got back with loads of Samples in Goody bag. This Divine chocolate bar was one among the lot, which I liked tremendously. Now after bragging so much above about being a Chocolate disliker (!?) , I am saying I loved it. The main reason being it was Dark chocolate, which I still can gulp in and also the attractive packaging it was in. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted to eat it. They had two flavours for us, Dark Chocolate with a hint of Chili (!!!) & Orange AND Milk chocolate with caramel. I don’t like caramel at all, hence I didn’t taste it but the friends I gave it to were very happy with the taste. I know the addition of chili sounds crazy, but personally I loved it and since I couldn’t have too much of it, I put it together for this Brownie.

Experts say that the quality of chocolate you use for the Brownies makes a substantial difference in the taste and texture. Since I had never made brownies before, am not sure how else would they taste had I used any other brand. But this one was truly amazing, the right texture and perfect taste. And since the Chocolate contained chili and orange flavours (which were amazing btw) , the slight hint of it in the bake was making it even more delish. I would personally recommend the Divine’s Dark chocolate bar, but am sure the caramel one was not bad either.They have a lot of flavors, check them out here.

What you need?

1/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup broken chocolate pieces – I took Divine Dark Chocolate
1 cup coconut milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For coconut topping:

1 cup grated coconut – I took dessicated
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
5 tbsp butter

How to Make?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, butter a 9×13 baking dish and keep ready.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter completely. Stir in sugar and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not allow sugar mixture to boil. Add the chocolate pieces and stir until melted.

Pour butter mixture into a large bowl or stand mixer and beat in eggs one by one. Throw in coconut milk, and vanilla extract and beat well.

In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and flour. Gradually add to the wet mixture and mix until well combined.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the Coconut spread aside.

For the topping, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved and mixture is slightly thickened.

Set aside until brownies are done with the first 20 minutes of baking. When brownies are done with first 20 minutes, remove from oven and pour coconut mixture over partially baked brownies and return to oven for 10-15 minutes until toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. Enjoy at room temperature of warming them up slightly in microwave before serving with Ice cream.

My Notes:

Since I used the dark chocolate, I lessen the quantity of Cocoa powder. But if you are using Milk chocolate, increase 1 tbsp more to the same mixture.
You may use plain milk, or even flavored milk to this batter and then keep or omit the coconut topping for a variation
Next time I would try white chocolate, and see the results.. if you have a recipe, share with me 🙂

Goes to Groovery Gourmets for this monthReposting it to –
Bake fest started by Cook’s Joy and hosted by Palachinka

Paal Kozhukattai :: Rice balls floating in sweetened coconut milk :: South Indian Payasam recipe

November 16, 2011 by Nupur 12 Comments

Ever since I had seen the post for Paal kozhukattai on Radhika’s Blog, I was willing to go for it impatiently. But some or the other thing happened and I could not cook this wonderful looking Payasam of hers. This Blog Hop, when I am paired with her, I got a superb chance to try my hands on this unique looking Payasam. It was a busy weekend, we went for a Concert of Sunidhi Chauhan and KK, both my favourite singers. Had a rocking time there, but for the rest of the weekend I felt drained out of hell. Had to prepare this Payasam rather quickly than I expected and could not get time to click pics as well. But off course, the taste was marvellous and it perked my mood like nothing else.

I found this recipe a bit consuming, so guys you will have to plan ahead of time. The main work is to roll the perfect balls, and hey!! Size does matter here 😉 Balls should be small in size and as even as you can get them. This will help in proper absorption of the Liquid and they will get steamed evenly. It is important to apply some ghee while rolling the balls, since it aids the steaming process. You can apply ghee on your palm and then roll the balls, so that they won’t stick and will spin out smoothly.

And at last, I tweaked the Original recipe a little bit according to the leftovers in my kitchen. I also cooked it for less time, a result of which was I didn’t get properly steamed rice balls. Hence, I have increased the cooking time slightly in my description. For the last bit, just make it with love and patience and you will get the flavours of the Payasam very well combined. For the Original recipe, visit Radhika’s Blog and to check what other Blog Hoppers are cooking, check here.

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice flour

1/2 cup grated Jaggery

1/2 can of Condensed Milk

1 can Coconut Milk

A pinch of Salt

2 cup water

A pinch of Cardamom powder

Method:

Boil 1 cup of water with a pinch of salt and a few drops of oil. Add the rice flour gradually and keep stirring it continuously. It will take hardly 2 minutes to form a dough of flour.

Transfer the dough into a big glass bowl which is lined up with a damp tea towel. Just fold it a bit, do not knead hard. And then cover it with a damp kitchen towel and keep aside for 15 min. Remove both towels and you will find the perfect dough.

Take small quantities in hand and roll into balls. Grease your palms well while doing this, else the balls will stick to the hands. Try and spin even equal size balls and keep them in a plate well apart each other. Dont stack them one over other.

In a deep pan, heat together 1 cup of water and coconut milk together. When it start boiling, add rice balls gradually while stirring gently. Keep the flame at medium.

Gradually the cooked balls will start floating on the surface. This shows they are cooked enough. At this stage, turn the flame at low and cover the pan. Cook it covered for 5-6 min at low.

Add coconut milk, cardamom powder and just stir at low for a minute and turn off the flame. dont over cook after adding coconut milk or it will curdle.

Serve warm.

10 minutes Coconut laddu | 4 ingredient vegan coconut balls

July 7, 2016 by Nupur 8 Comments

Coconut oil is so in these days. People around the world are going gaga over the benefits of including this “wonder oil” in your diet and lifestyle. I bet South of India is laughing its bu** off right now, since they are the ones to be using Coconut oil for ages! With no appreciation or recognition what so ever. And now all of a sudden the genie is out of the bottle making everyone look younger and healthier.

All that what’s said about health benefits of Coconut oil is true though. It is definitely a wonder oil, which when consumed in a moderate amount, helps towards maintaining a good health overall. It’s like Yoga, you have to do it right to get the benefits out of it.

Having said that, I do use coconut oil a lot in my kitchen these days. And I absolutely love the slightly sweet and fragrant taste it brings to my cooking. Making not only the curries and stir fries taste better but also the sweets I make occasionally.

Like this one, Coconut Laddu (or laddoo) I made a few days ago. The original recipe called for Ghee but since I already use ghee a lot in my diet, I made these using coconut oil. which was a great decision since the coconut-y taste was so upfront yet mellow in these.

More Coconut recipes-> No sugar vanilla coconut smoothie | Mango coconut barfi | Restaurant style Coconut chutney | Vegan banana bread w/ coconut milk | Kerala Egg roast w/ coconut milk

Coconut laddu is a very traditional Indian sweet typically prepared during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam, Dussehra etc in India. It is super easy to prepare and is amazing in taste. Its like eating fresh snow, if you know what I mean. The moment you pop these in your mouth, they melt bursting out fresh flavours.

(Damn! All this writing is making me crave for these now).

Anyway, so I used the coconut oil sent by Vita Coco for this recipe. I have used a few of other brands like KTC, Natco etc. and this is one brand which I have liked the most so far. It has that nutty and aromatic taste which reminds me of my childhood when Mum used to prepare dishes in locally produced Coconut oil. And yes, I am adding Coconut oil to my face packs and hair packs too.

Coming back to the laddus, these are an absolute delight to make especially when you are in a hurry. And there is no preps involved if you are using the frozen grated coconut. I had pulsed the coconut with the skin on in the blender at home and hence the colour is a bit darker than usual. Traditionally, coconuts’s skin is scrapped off first and then then the whiter part is used in making laddus. So most of the coconut laddus you would find online would be shiny white. Whereas, these are tad dense and a shade darker. They are equally good in taste though, and what do they say about keeping the skin on? It’s healthier!

So here is the recipe for the melt in mouth, magical and utterly delicious coconut sweet balls.

What you need?

1 coconut- would make about 1 cup of freshly grated fine coconut
½ cup sugar- I used a tbsp. less than this
½ tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp coconut oil

How to make?

Combine the grated fresh coconut, sugar and coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Allow the sugar to melt by cooking on a low-medium gas setting. Keep stirring frequently until you get a thick mixture. Would take around 8 – 10 minutes.

When the mixture thickens, add the cardamom powder and give a good last stir. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool a bit.

While its still a bit warm but touchable, pinch a spoonful from the mixture and shape into round balls by pressing between your palms. Serve fresh and finish off in 5-7 hours.

Notes:

These laddus are very fragile and break off easily. So take care to keep them in an airtight container and not move them around rigorously.

Shaping the laddus does take a bit of practice initially but after 1-2 balls you would know how to do it so don’t worry about that.

You may refrigerate these laddus but do finish them within 24 hours of preparing else the coconut would start drying off soon.

Feel free to use ghee instead of coconut oil as per the original recipe. It does taste nice that way too.

Other Indian sweets/desserts that you might like:

Sheer Khurma

Cashew barfi

Lauki / Dudhi halwa

Rice kheer

Mango Shrikhand

No sugar Coconut vanilla yogurt breakfast smoothie

May 26, 2015 by Nupur 6 Comments

There is a coffee kiosk at the station which I pass by every day. Its AMT coffee, and they have a proper chain at many locations across the UK. Though I find their cappuccino is a tad bitter, I love their smoothies and shakes. They have this special range of shakes called “Yogu-shake”; a smoothie made with yogurt and some flavoured syrups. And am head over heels for their coconut yogushake. It seems to me that this drink is specifically designed to ruin my diet plans. Every alternate day my heart consoles my brain about the bursting temperatures and in turns the stupid fellow prompts me to buy a cuppa. And the rest of the day is followed by my waistline cursing and abusing me to have it. Sigh! I never thought I would say this, but winters were at least better in terms of my diet regulations.

Since that smoothie contains a lot of sugar I guess (doesn’t stop me from lusting for it!) I decided I would make something at home without sugar to satisfy my greedy buds. So last weekend, I whirled up a few ingredients together in an attempt to make something similar to the ultimate shake. I was so determined on skipping up the sugar that I added not 1 but 2 sweet things to cover up for the taste. Banana and honey.

Verdict! Super awesome smoothie in hands.

It makes an amazing breakfast smoothie sans all the bitter, bland stuff. Bursting with flavours from banana, yogurt, coconut and vanilla it is a vitamins and minerals packed drink. Add a spoonful of your favourite protein powder and you are sorted for 3-4 hours.

I used greek yogurt in the making since I like thick yogurt drinks. You may choose to go for a thinner version instead and use more coconut milk and less yogurt. Also, with time I have realised that honey is optional though and I can do without it. Banana and coconut are sweet enough for me, and occasionally I add a tsp of sugar if the lust kicks in. 😉

Some more yogurt drinks – Rose flavoured Lassi | Punjabi sweet lassi | Vegan Mango lassi | Mango vanilla lassi | Mango saffron milkshake

What you need? Makes 2-3 glasses of smoothie

1 small banana or half if bigger in size
1 cup coconut milk
1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp of pure vanilla essence
1 teaspoon torn fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
1-2 tsp sugar, ONLY if you need it
4-5 ice cubes or as per preference

Optional-
A few strawberries or orange slices for garnish

How to make?

Blend everything together in a blender or smoothie maker and relish.

Notes:

Adjust sugar and ice cubes according to your taste. I dont like my smoothies too cold so I dont use ice cubes at all. instead I use cold coconut milk, water and yogurt to get the desired consistency and temperature.

Don’t use the thick coconut milk in this or if you do, make sure to add some chilled water or ice cubes as per your preference.

You may use Vegan yogurt to make this a completely vegan drink. I have used all full fat items, but feel free to use fat free yogurt and low fat coconut milk. They would be thinner so adjust the water/ice accordingly.

If you like more refreshing drinks, why not try this savoury

Indian spiced buttermilk:

Mango coconut Barfi | Vegan Mango Fudge | Kopra Pak

August 7, 2014 by Nupur 8 Comments

I am gradually getting over my fear of using fruits into cooking. I started with this Pineapple Kesari ( Kesari:- Sooji Halwa ), then tried the Mango Kesari, gradually making my way towards using it in cakes like this Mango Chocolate cake… Mmm, what an amazing texture that was. And this No bake Mango Semolina Cake was simply the best Microwave tea cake I have baked.

Then came this Amrakhand ( Mango Shreekhand ) which was so tasty I couldn’t stop moaning after it was finished. And when I got confidant enough I finally made this Mango coconut Fudge ( Nariyal Aam ki Barfi ) which was wonderful !

Plain Coconut Barfi has always been my favourite, so much that I have asked my Mum to carry a kilo of it for me on her trip to the UK next week. If anyone of you belongs from U.P., you must know how delicious and melt in mouth that barfi is. This one I have made here today is similar but not exactly the same. That one has a different recipe which I will post very soon.

More Indian sweets: Dudhi halwa | Beetroot rava halwa | Sheer Khurma | Carrot halwa | Sandesh with white chocolate

Mango and Coconut is a combo made in heaven. Or you can actually say that coconut goes well with all summer fruits, that’s why it’s used in most of the tropical drinks. Take an example of Virgin Pina Colada, my most fav Mock tail, which is again a blend of coconut and pineapple juice primarily with hints of lemon or lime. And then I tried this Mango Coconut Smoothie inspired by the same combination and that didn’t prove me wrong either. So you see, this combination of coconut with fruit juices, it never really fails.

And that is why I tried this recipe from here, and loved it so much I made it again only to post the recipe on the blog. And of course that was just an excuse !

The texture of the Barfi is soft, crumbly and delicate. Once its set properly, it does not go hard but remain soft which is the best thing about it. This is similar to Maharashtrian Coconut barfi, called Kopra Pak (Kopra:- Coconut, Pak:- Fudge)

I have used Coconut Milk instead of Milk as stated in the original recipe. Not only it improves the texture of the Fudge and made me use less sugar, but also provides that subtle fragrant taste which is a typical coconut-y characteristic. That also makes this fudge a Vegan sweet to try. Next time, I am thinking to try using Almond milk or Cashew milk instead of Coconut Milk.

One thing I noticed about this was, that after a few hours it started getting a bit sour, not rotten sour but simply the sweetness got reduced marginally. And I don’t like mixing up sweet and sour taste at all. So I would personally suggest to consume the barfi within 24 hours of preparation. The best part is the ingredients can easily be halved an you can prepare a very small quantity only to be used like a snack or with one meal.

I have used pistachios on top as stated in the original recipe along with some almonds, you can use cashews , peanuts or even walnuts or simply just skip it. Alternately you can mix the nuts into the burfi mixture while adding cardamom powder.

More Mango recipes : Mango Shrikhand | Mango Vanilla LAssi | Vegan Mango coconut smoothie | Mango sooji halwa

Prep Time: 10-12 minutes

Cooking Time: 40-45 minutes

Serves: 6-8 people

Cuisine:- Maharashtrian, South indian

Spice Level: Sweet

Recipe Level: Medium

Shelf Life: Up to 12 hours at room temperature, up to 3-4 days in the Fridge

Serving Suggestion: With or without meals, tea, coffee etc.

Nutritional Facts:- Rich in vitamin C,A and E. Some sugar and fats

Recipe Source: Spice up the curry

What you need?

1 ½ cup grated coconut , thawed if using frozen pack
½ cup Coconut Milk
¼ cup Sugar
½ cup Mango pulp ( I used Kesar Mango pulp, store bought )
A pinch of cardamom powder
Chopped nuts of your choice – Pistachio, Almonds etc.

How to make?

Start by grease the tray or container with Ghee or unsalted butter and keep it aside. If making it Vegan, simply grease it with some non fragrant oil
Transfer grated coconut into a wide cooking pan to roast, stirring frequently. Wait till it starts turning light brown and gives out nice aroma of toasted Coconut
Add Coconut milk and Mango pulp, mixing everything well on a low flame. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
You will start seeing some bubbles coming up and mixture thickening . Add sugar at this point and keep stirring till the mixture comes to a mass. This will take another 15-18 minutes on low-medium flame.
Once it forms a lump of mass, turn off the stove, add cardamom powder, mix uniformly and transfer to the greased tray, spreading evenly.
Sprinkle few chopped nuts on top, and press it lightly so it sticks to the burfi.
Let the mixture cools completely so it sets nicely. Once set, cut into pieces and serve.

Tips and Notes:

Using sweet variety Mangoes will yield better results, otherwise the sourness of the mango might ruin the whole taste
I have used tinned Mango pulp, since that’s convenient and easily available here. But you may use fresh mangoes, and of course adjust the sugar accordingly
Use Milk instead of Coconut milk if you wish, the taste will differ slightly and you may need to adjust the sugar, adding a bit more than what I have specified.

If you like refreshing Mango recipes, why not try this Mango Shrikhand

Spiced Buttermilk :: Masala Chhaas :: Namkeen Lassi :: Chaach :: Matha recipe

July 3, 2014 by Nupur 2 Comments

During our trip last year to Coorg ( A popular hill station in Karnataka, India ) we took a short trek for a famous Waterfall. That was our very first Official encounter with the rough and humid breeze of the South. And hence we weren’t prepared well enough. As it had to happen, very soon we ran out of the water despite carrying almost 10 ltr of water in merely an hour of starting the trek. And the trek wasn’t even half covered by then. All drained and blistered, we continued walking for another mile. Just before we were about to give up on God’s existence and lie flat on the rough road, we caught up a glance of a small shop on the edge of the hill. There it was !! Our Saviour !! With loads of fresh tender coconuts roped in and a huge Matki filled of Chhaas. Ohh, what a wave of bliss it was.. just to look at it…

We ran wearily, huffing and puffing towards it. By the time we reached there, all of us were panting and completely out of breath. I guess the shopkeeper was so used to such melodramatic scenes at his nook, he didn’t even bothered asking us what we wanted. Instead, he asked his helper to hand us with a Tender Coconut each. Within seconds we all were sipping fresh water out and our “guy” had already started pouring Chhaas in the individual glasses. We were so tired by then, none of us refused the service and gulped the drinks down immediately. After what it seems to be like an Eternity, each one of us was down at least 1 glass of Chaas and water from 1 big coconut. I had a lot more than that.. Our bodies were back to the normal state in a few minutes and we bought a couple of more water bottles for the rest of our journey. Although we were looking for the Public toilets for the next half an hour, that’s a story for some other time. But I bet this Shopkeeper must make a fortune with that little corner of his. In fact, we discussed later on that none of us had asked about the price or even counted the change he returned back to us. No price could match the lifesaving drink marathon we had, literally !

So anyway – coming to the recipe for today which is related to this short story above. ButterMilka.k.a Matha a.k.a Chhaas a.k.a Chhachh is an integral part of Indian Diet in Summers. It is a low fat, high in calcium and Protein, cooling drink which makes a very good digestive as well. And it’s among the very few drinks which are not sweet so it’s a refreshing boon for those watching their weight. Although being called by various different names, the basic recipe remains the same for every region. With just a little change in spices here and there of course..

What is Buttermilk ?

It is simply, the whey liquid that remains after butter is churned out of the milk. Like, literally .. that’s what it is. For a long time, I was under impression that buttermilk is diluted yogurt. But it’s not ! Rather that’s a better by-product of Yogurt which is recommended in Ayurveda for the calm and peace of body. As it is yogurt is stated highly in Ayurveda for the healthy living. And buttermilk is all the goodness of yogurt Minus the fats. So that makes it a substantially low fat drink with immense nutritional benefits.

How to make Buttermilk at home ?

Like I said above, I used to believe that buttermilk is simply yogurt diluted with water. And I know that many of us still believe in that. The whole process of making buttermilk is not that difficult but then it’s a bit time consuming and you need to plan a bit ahead of time to do so. In my earlier post on “ How to make Ghee from scratch”, I have described in detail, the method of how you can keep stacking the home accumulated cream ( or store bought double cream ) to eventually convert it into Ghee. That’s a tad long route, but the best one to prepare the real Ghee, which can be termed as “Pure Gold”. The butter milk emerges as an incentive to the ghee that we get at the end. I have summarised the prcess below for you, but I fyou are keen to get more info on the ghee making process and the benefits as per Ayurveda etc. refer to this link here.

Take 1 big bowl full of full fat yoghurt, chilled and add equal measures of chilled water to it. say for example if you have taken 1 bowl of yogurt, take 1 bowl full of chilled water and mix them both. Pour that in a blender jar and start pulsing. You will need to pulse for about 5-7 minutes, till the butter and water get separated. Yes, the magic does happen after a biting point and you get to see the thin layer separating the two. Just be patient and use chilled water and yogurt.

Scoop the butter out of the Jar and strain the remaining liquid. THAT is your Buttermilk !! So, you see here !! you get butter and buttermilk, both of the yoghurt. The catch here is that it has to be full cream yogurt, only then you will get the desired result in the time indicated above. Else you will keep on pulsing for long time but won’t get anything but the diluted yogurt at the end.

** If you don’t want to go through all the pain of blending, scooping etc. Simply use low fat yogurt and dilute it with ½ the measure of water to prepare the Buttermilk instantly.

Prep Time: 10-12 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-3 minutes

Serves: 2-3 people

Cuisine:– Indian, all regions

Spice Level: Mild

Recipe Level: Easy

Shelf Life: Up to 1 hour at room temperature, up to 24 hours in the Fridge (without salt)

Serving Suggestion: With Spicy rice dishes like Biryani, Pilaf etc. or just plain on a hot day

Nutritional Facts:- Cooling, Rich in protein, Calcium, Vitamins and Pro-biotics.

How to make Masala Chaach / Matha / Chhaas

Now that we have prepared the buttermilk, we just need to add some spices and bit to it to make the spiced version of the same. Spiced Buttermilk makes a no fuss and cooling drink and is essential to combat the super-hot weather that we have in India or elsewhere.

What you need?

2 glasses of buttermilk, chilled
3-4 ice cubes
1 small green chili, minced in a course paste – the medium variety which is not too hot
1 tsp black pepper powder
A pinch of black salt
4-5 curry leaves , crushed or chopped finely
1-2 mint leaves, crushed or chopped finely
1 tsp full of Salt, or to taste
A few coriander leaves to garnish and serve
A pinch of Roasted cumin powder

Method:

Simple blend everything together except Ice cubes and coriander leaves. Add ice cubes and blend until they are crushed coarsely. Pour into glasses and serve with chopped coriander leaves on top

Notes:

As simple as this is, it can be planned ahead of time with all the spices mixed but the salt. Juts mix in salt before serving, give a quick churn and serve immediately. If you add salt and then keep in Fridge, the yogurt will turn sour and wont taste good.
Buttermilk tastes best when fresh so try and gulp it down as soon as you make it.
You may add your choice of herbs to it like Parsley, Thyme etc. if you want to experiment with the taste
In some regions, like Punjab, they add a few drops of Boondi ( fried small gram flour balls) in the Matha ( that’s what it’s called in / near the state of Punjab) which makes it even more delicious but a bit on the heavy side. Try it if you haven’t , for a different taste
Adding black salt is optional, but it really gives a delicate and unique flavour to the dink. In fact I use it for all my yogurt based dishes like Raita etc. and it never fails to amaze me.
Different regions have different recipe for this drink, but that’s how I make it and love it this way.

You may like to check out some other Summer Drinks HERE

Some cooling Raita recipes below:

Spinach Yoghurt Raita :: Paalak ka Raita

Beetroot Yoghurt Raita :: Chukandar ka raita

Pineapple Raita :: with pomegranate ( Anaar )

Okra Yogurt Dip :: Bhindi Ka Raita