Achu's Recipes

Rava Idli is an easy make and healthy breakfast recipe. This doesnot require soaking or overnight fermentation, so Rava Idli can be treated as an instant breakfast item. Ingredients Rava / Sooji / Semolina (coarse) - 1 cup Thick Curd - 1 cup Oil - 2 tbsp Ghee - 1 tbsp Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp Urud Daal - 1 tsp Chana Daal - 1 tsp Curry Leaves - as required (finely chopped) Grated Carrot - 1/2 cup Baking Powder or Eno Salt - 1/2 tsp  Water - as required Salt - as required Preparation Method Heat oil and ghee in a thick bottom pan; splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves, urud daal and chana daal. Add grated carrot and saute for 2-3 mins: Add rava / sooji and roast till rava become slighlty golden in colour. Transfer the rava mix to a glass bowl and bring it to room temperature. To the rava mix, add curd and salt and mix without forming lumps. Batter should be thick. Add water, if required, and mix well to adjust the consistency. To the idli batter add baking p...

Ven Pongal or Khara Pongal is a popular breakfast in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.  Ven Pongal or Khara Pongal is  made with rice and yellow moong daal. Its an easy to make, healthy and delicious breakfast. Ingredients Rice - 1 cup Yellow Moong Daal - 1/2 cup Water - 4 and 1/2 cup Salt - as required Ghee - 5 tbsp Curry Leaves - as required Cashew Nuts - 10-15 nos: Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper - 1 tsp Asafoetida - a pinch (optional) Ginger - 1 tsp Preparation Method Dry roast the moong daal till its hot and keep aside. Wash clean the rice and moong daal and keep in strainer. In a thick bottom cooker heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and keep aside. To the ghee add finely chopped ginger, saute for 4-5sec:, then splutter pepper and cumin seeds. Add rice-daal, water and salt to the cooker; mix well, keep the lid closed and wait for  4-5 whistles. The rice has to be cooked in such a way that it should be soft and pulpy. Once the pressure su...

Pidi or Kozhukkatta (Rice Flour Dumpling) is popular dish in Central Kerala specially among the Syrian Christians. Usually Pidi is not sweet and is served with Chicken Curry. Pidi and Chicken curry used to be the favourite breakfast on Easter and Christmas.. This is a sweet version of Pidi and  is prepared in Coconut milk.  Ingredients Rice Flour - 1 cup Coconut Milk (3rd extract) - 2 cups Coconut Milk (2nd extract) - 1 cup Coconut Milk (1st extract) - 1/2 cup Cadamom Powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 3-4 tbsp (as per your taste) Salt - 1/4 tsp Preparation Method Combine half cup of the 3rd extract of coconut milk and water; add salt and bring to boil. Add rice flour and 1/4 tsp of Cumin powder to the boiling water and mix well with woodwn spoon and remove from flame. Once the dough is cool enough to touch knead with your hands and make a smooth, lums free dough. Prepare small smalls from the dough and keep aside. Steam the rice ball...

Millionairs Short Bread - a three layer dessert with Crisp base, rich and chewy caramel in the middle and thick chocolate ganache at the top. This is an easy version of Millionairs Short Bread, which we can prepare with the ingredients available at home.. Lets make this for New Year lunch or dinner. I am sure that the family and friends, especially the kids love this dessert. Wish you all a Happy & Prosperous 2018.... Ingredients For Base Arrow Root Biscuit - 200gms Melted Butter - 100gms For Filling Butter - 100 gms: Sugar - 100 gms: Condensed Milk - 400 ml Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp Sea Salt - 1 tsp (optional) For Topping Dark Chocolate - 100 gms Milk Chocolate - 100 gms Vegetable Oil / Butter - 3 tbsp Preparation Method Grease a square baking tin and line with butter paper on the bottom and sides. Powder the biscuits and add the melted butter and mix well till it become like bread crumps. Evenly spread the biscuit to the prepared tin and p...

Christmas - the time of Carols, Christmas Tree, Christmas Star, Santa. Gifts and of course the super most and delicious Rich Plum Cake. Rich Plum Cake was in my 'To Bake' list from many years; but was doubtfull about how it turns out. This year I decided to give it a try and I am glad that it was great success.  My friends and family loved the cake. The aroma of cake, especially the dry fruits while baking the cake is beyond words.. .. Wish you all Merry Christmas... Ingredients To Soak Cashew Nuts  - 1 cup (chopped) Almonds - 1 cup (chopped) Cherry - 1 cup (chopped) Walnut - 1/2 cup (chopped) Dates - 1/2 cup (chopped) Raisins - 1 cup Tutti Fruity - 1 cup  Rum - 2 cups Add the dry fuits to a large glass bowl and mix well. Add rum ; mix well and keep tightly closed. Soak the dry fruis for atleast for 2 days. If you can soak for 1-2 weeks, the cake will be more tasty. Open the lid and mix the dry fuits once in 2 days. To Powder ...

Rice Rava Dumplimng or Thari Kadibu is an authentic breakfast recipe in the South Karnataka and is easy to make and no-fail breakfast item. Rice Rava Dumplimng or Thari Kadibu can be prepared easily without soaking the rice or keeping the batter for fermentaion. Thari Kadibu can be served with chutney and sambar and some people prefer to eat with chicken or mutton gravy. As Thari Kadibu is steam cooked, it can be considered as healthy breakfast item. Ingredients Rice rava - 1 cup Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup Water - 2 cups Mustard Seeds  - 1/4 tsp Red Chilli - 2-3 nos: (cut into small) Curry Leaves - 8-10  nos: (finely chopped) Split Black Gram - 1 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt - as required Preparation Method In pan bring oil to heat and splutter mustard seeds, red chilli, black gram and curry leaves. Add water and salt to the pan and allow it to boil. Once the water starts to boil, reduce the flame and add grated coconut and mix well. Gradually add rice rava and...

Ingredients Chicken - 500 gms (cut into medium pieces) Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tbsp Garam Masala  - 1 tbsp Ginger - 1 tsp (finely chopped) Garlic - 1 pod (thin sliced) Coconut Milk (first extract) - 1 cup  Onion - 3 big (finely chopped) Curry Leaves - as required Salt - as required Coconut Oil - 3 tbsp Preparation Method Marinate the chicken with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, pepper powder, garam masala, ginger, garlic and salt and keep aside for 10  mins: Add chicken and coconut milk to a thick bottom vessel and cook till chicken is done. Once the chicken is cooked, keep the lid open and cook in high flame, stirring generously, till gravy is coated evenly in the chicken. Remove the chicken from flame and keep aside. Heat coconut oil in thick bottom wok and saute onion in medium lame till onion turns to golden brown. Add cooked chicken and curry leaves and mix well. Saute the chicken in med...