Achu's Recipes

Rasam is a thin, very spicy southern Indian soup served with other dishes, typically as a drink. Rasam can even work as a medicine, when you are suffering from cold and fever. It is a combination of sweet, sour and spicy tastes. Ingredients Ripe Tomatoes - 2 nos: Whole Pepper - 10 nos: Cumin (Jeera) - 2 tsp: Garlic Flakes - 3 nos: Chopped Coriander leaves - 2 tsp Salt - as required Oil - 1 tsp Red Chilli - 2 nos: Curry leaves - 4-5 nos: Rasam Powder - 1  tsp Jaggery – 1/2 tsp Asafoetida - a pinch Preparation Method Blanch tomatoes in hot water, take out the skin and mash or grind the pulp. Add lot of water to the pulp, salt, rasam powder and jaggery and mash well either with hand or with a hand blender. Powder pepper, cumin, garlic coarsely. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds, cumin, curry leaves, red chilli. Once they crackle add powdered pepper, garlic,  asafoetida and f ry for 1min: Add tomato rasam, b oil well for 5-10 mins: add...

Ingredients Kadala / Bengal Gram - 2 cups s Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - as required Sliced Coconut Pieces (thenga kothu ) - 3 tbsp Onion - 1 large (chopped) Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp Coriander Powder - 3 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Small Onions /  Shallots  - 4 sliced Red Chillies-2 Curry Leaves -  2-3 stems Coconut oil - 3 tbsp Preparation Method Soak the dried kadala / bengal gram overnight and cook with turmeric powder, salt and sufficient water. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add the sliced pearl onions and saute for 2-3mins: Add chopped onion, saute till it turns slight golden brown. Add  sliced coconut, roast until it turns reddish brown. Add red chilly powder and coriander powder and mix till the smell goes off. Add cooked kadala and bring to boil. Add more water if you want thinner gravy. Boil for 10mins: in low flame. Kadala / Bengal Gram Curry is ready to serve with appam / puttu / idiyappam. For Id...

Last week-end we got a chance to visit a Grape Farm near to our place. Luckily, that was the grape harvesting time. We plucked grapes directly from grape plants, ate a lot there itself and bought more than 15Kg of grapes at an economical price. Now its grape time in our house - grape juice in the morning along with breakfast and grape wine will be ready in another 3 weeks !!!!!  Today I had no second thought about what to post....... Nothing else..... Its time for ' Fresh Grape Juice '. I am not specifying any measurements, because its up to you and the quality of grapes you are using.... Ingredients Grapes Sugar (optional) Water (optional) Preparation Method Simple..... Put the cleaned and separated grapes to the blender and extract the juice. If you are using normal mixer, filter the skin and seeds. Add sugar, if you want more sweet. Add little bit of water, if you feel that juice is so thick. Transfer the Fresh Grape Juice to a serving gl...

Ingredients Krusteaz Banana Nut Bread Mix - 1 pkt Water - 160 ml Vegetable  Oil -  80 ml   Eggs -  2 nos:   Preparation Method Grease a bread tray and keep aside. Preheat the oven at 200 degree C. Mix water, oil, eggs and quick bread mix together in glass bowl  until moistened. Pour the batter into greased tray. Bake for 50-55 mins: or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow it to cool down in wire rack. Cut into slices and enjoy the Banana Bread as a snack.  Note: You can keep the Banana bread in room temperature for 3-4 days and if refrigerated it can use for 3 weeks.

Ingredients Vermicelli - 100 gms: Milk - 1 ltr Sugar - 8-10 tbsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Cashew - 10-15 nos: Raisins (Kismis) - 10-15 nos: Elachi Powder - 1/2 tsp Preparation Method In a kadai bring ghee to heat, roast cashew and raisins and keep aside. If the vermicelli is not roasted, roast the vermicelli in remaining ghee till light golden color and keep aside. Boil milk in a kadai. When milk start boiling, add vermicelli and stir well. Bring down the flame to low-medium and cook vermicelli, stirring in between. Add sugar, when vermicelli is almost cooked, and mix well. Add elachi powder and mix well and remove from flame. Add roasted cashew and raisins and keep the lid closed for 5-10mins: Mix well and enjoy the yummy Semiya Payasam / Vermicelli Payasam.

Happy New Year to all my friends......  Ingredients Chicken - 1/2 Kg (cut into medium pieces) Salt - as required Chicken Masala - 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp Onion - 2 big( finely chopped) Green Chilli- 1 no:(finely chopped) Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Curry Leaves- 2-3 stems (chopped) Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Oil - 5 tbsp Preparation Method Marinate the wash cleaned chicken pieces with salt, chicken masala, turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste for 30-45mins: Steam cook the marinated chicken till half done. In a kadai bring oil to heat and splutter mustard seeds. Add chopped onion, green chilli and curry leaves. Saute till onion become soft. Add pepper powder and cooked chicken and mix well. Cook chicken in low flame, stirring in between till chicken gets cooked and become dry. Serve the Chicken Dry Roast as a snack or as a side dish with friend rice / chappathi.