Sorakaya payasam / Bottle gourd-rice pudding

Don't be amazed to see bottle gourd pudding here. I know you must be checking the title again and scrolling down wondering how it looks like! Yes indeed it is a sorakaya payasam or bottle gourd pudding! even I was zapped when I first heard it from my husband. If you have a sweet tooth then you gonna enjoy this recipe. My MIL taught me this traditional, authentic payasam on her recent visit and you know there is no milk in it! Isn't that wonderful..... payasam without milk! OMG!




Yet another sweet savoury for JFI-Rice hosted by Sharmi of Neivedyam. Jihva for ingredients (JFI) is the brain child of Indira of Mahanandi.




There are recipes that call for milk and sugar and can be find on internet. but this payasam is made out of rice, jaggery and bottlegourd and is served with cooked dal(side dish) and a dash of ghee/clarified butter. What a great treat for those chilly winterly-fall evenings. I am sure you will give it a try and let me know how this tasted in your kitchen.

Source: My Mother-in-law
Cuisine: South Indian, Andhra
Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Soaking time: Overnight
Makes: 6 people

Ingredients:
For payasam~
2 cups of rice(pref. Indian Sona Masoori)
1 big sorakaya/bottle gourd, chopped into medium size pieces (see photo)
2½ cups of grated jaggery/gud/bellam
4 Cardamom powder/crushed eliachi seeds
few cashew nuts/almonds for garnishing (optional)
2 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
2-3 cups of water, approx
2 tsp ghee
For dal ~
1½ cup toor dal/red gram dal
salt as per taste

Method:

• Wash and soak the rice night before. Grind it first without water and then start grinding by adding 1/4 cup of water at a time. The batter should not contain any coarse rice (rice rava), grind it more to attain a smooth texture by adding little more water, you can see the photo here. The batter should be little thin just like dosa batter.
  

• Peel the bottle gourd/sorakaya and cut them into small bite size pieces like in the picture. Pressure cook them in 1/2 cup of water, sugar and salt for 3 whistles (depends on cooker). To be more specific the gourd should not be over cooked or mushy, it should retain its shape. Once cool transfer the content to a large deep pan dont throw away the water, turn on the heat. Meanwhile boil some dal and add salt once its cooked.
  

• In a large bowl mix the grated jaggery into the rice batter, add cardamom powder and mix well till jaggery/gud/bellam is mixed properly. You will notice the color changes from pure white to light brown color. This color also depends on the type of jaggery used, if it is old one like the one I used in this recipe, it will be little darker. Check the sweet levels, if its mild then stir little more jaggery or as per your taste.

• Add this mixture to the bottle gourd/sorakaya pieces and cook on medium low while constantly stirring it. You will know when the rice in the batter mix is cooked, as the payasam will turn thicker. Once its cooked turn off the heat, garnish with your favourite nuts and serve hot with a dash of ghee/clarified butter and cooked dal.

Mamidikaya annam aka Mango rice

Mamidakaya annam aka Mango rice

Mamidikaya means raw mango and annam means rice, together mamidikaya annam is one of my favorite rice recipe, its tangy and sour to taste and goes well with any pachadi, fritters or pickle. We make it when the raw mangoes are in season in India, during Ugadi (festival) in the month of March - April. Here in US I noticed that raw mangoes are little bit sweeter to taste.

I am making this classic rice entry and today sending this to Sharmi of Neivedyam for JFI-Rice (Jhiva for Ingredients) started by Indira of Mahanandi.

This recipe is also known as Mango rice, Mamidikaya Pulihora. Mango rice is specially cooked on Ugadi in some parts of Andhra and definitely needs generous amount of oil for tempering. Here are few more recipes for this recipes from fellow bloggers Sailu, Shireesha, Shakahari Saapadu, Indira, Bee, Shanthi, Sharmi.

Source: My own
Cuisine: South Indian, Andhra
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 7 mins
Makes: 4 people
Ingredients:
3 cups of rice, (pref Indian rice aka sona masoori)
1 big raw mango, peeled and grated
½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
for tempering/tadka:
2 tsp urad dal/black gram dal
2 tsp mustard seeds/rai
1 tbsp chana dal/bengal gram dal
handful of peanuts
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
3-4 torn dried red chillies
4-5 green chillies, cut lengthwise
½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
few curry leaves
a pinch of asafeotida/hing
2 tbsp of cooking oil
salt as per taste

Method:

1. Cook rice with ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi, let it stand for 10 mins and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the dals, mustard seeds and let it splatter for a minute.
3. Then add the torn red chillies, curry leaves, peanuts, chopped ginger, green chillies and fry them for 1-2 mins.
4. To this add the turmeric powder, hing and salt. Mix well and lastly add the grated raw mango.
5. Stir well and leave it on medium high for about 2 mins or till the mango threads are cooked.
6. Mix this with rice and Mango rice is ready within minutes.
   

Apple Crumb Dessert

Apple crumb dessert

Microwave cooking is always been so simple and easy when Srivalli of 'Cooking 4 all seasons' announced Microwave easy cooking event. Cooking in microwave for me atleast was to make coffee or to reheat the leftovers from the previous day/two. My friend L moving to Denver and initially they stayed in some motel, till they hunted for an apartment over there. She used to cook in the microwave and make our daily dishes like rice, dal, curry. This was that first time I came to know how useful it can be if we dont have cooking gas/stove. Well since then I have been trying my hands on m/w cooking.

Today am gonna prepare dessert with apples, and as this is a "cook any sweet dish" event also I google'd for m/w cooking and found this incredible recipe. I made some modulations in the recipe though, so here it is....

Source: adapted from cooks.com
Cuisine: International
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 2 mins
Makes: 6 people
Ingredients:
4 cups apples, sliced (any, I used Red Delicious)
½ tsp cinnamon powder
1 cup all purpose flour/maida
½ cup sugar (I used only ¼ cup) or ¼ cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar or 1 tbsp honey
¼ tsp baking soda
1 egg or ½ cup orange juice
3 tbsp of melted butter
Method:

• Arrange apples in an 8"x8"x2" pan, sprinkle with cinnamon.

• Mix flour, sugar or honey, salt, baking soda and egg or orange juice, mix with fork until crumbly. Spoon over apples. Sprinkle with brown sugar or honey.

• Microwave butter, uncovered in 1 cup glass measure on high until melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Drizzle over apples. Microwave, uncovered on high until apples are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Serve warm.
  

Varalakshmi Vratham

Varalakshmi Vratham is a popular ritual observed by married women in South India and Maharashtra. Goddess Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and prosperity – is worshipped on this day. In 2007, Varalakshmi Puja is on August 24. According to Hindu mythology, once Goddess Parvati asked Lord Shiva about a vratha that will be beneficial to women. Lord Shiva then mentioned the importance of Varalakshmi Vratha. The conversation on Varalakshmi Vratham between Parvati and Shiva takes place in the Skanda Purana. The Hindu mythological story about this vratham you can find it here.

Varalakshmi literally means the boon granting goddess. Worshipping Goddess Lakshmi on this day is equivalent to worshipping Ashtalaksmi – the eight goddesses of Wealth, Earth, Learning, Love, Fame, Peace, Pleasure, and Strength. It comes in the holy month of Shravan on the first friday before the full moon (Pournami/ Poonam).

We generally buy something in gold and offer to the Goddess Lakshmi. We do Alankaranam with all the jewelery and offer saree, prasadam/ naivedyam, differnet varieties of fruits and Thamboolam – betel leaf, areca nut, flowers, pair of banana/any fruit, turmeric, kumkum, coin, khajoor – is offered to women in the locality and in the evening an arati is offered. To know more about this puja you can find it on telugu bhakti and carnatica and for step by step puja vidhanam click here.

I thought of sharing few snaps of the puja performed at my home, since this puja was followed by weekend and one of our friend visited us, I was not able to post it on 24th August. I made 5 varieties of naivedyam, offered 7 kinds of fruits including coconut and bananas.

Kalasham Puja

performing puja on the silver mahalakshmi coins
can you also see the pasupu ganapathi!

5 varieties of Prasadam/naivedyam offered to the Goddess Varalakshmi
(Pulihora, payasam, halwa, garelu (vada) and chana)

Saree and 5 varieties of fruits, apples, plums, nectarines, grapes, and oranges
being offered to the Goddess

My Puja(worship) corner/room

Thamboolam

Jeera Aloo -- Crushed Cumin with red skinned Potatoes

Its time to treat the king of spices *CUMIN*. Although the small cumin seed looks rather unassuming, its nutty peppery flavor packs a punch when it comes to adding a nutty and peppery flavor to chili and other Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes as well playing an important role in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine where it is a key component of curry powder. Both whole and ground cumin are available year-round.

Cumin seeds resemble caraway seeds, being oblong in shape, longitudinally ridged, and yellow-brown in color. This is not surprising as both cumin and caraway, as well as parsley and dill, belong to the same plant family (Umbelliferae).

Health Benefits : It is probably not just for taste alone that cumin has made it into the stellar ranks of Indian, Middle Eastern and Mexican cooking. This ordinary looking seed is anything but ordinary when it comes to health benefits. It is a very good source of Iron for Energy and Immune Function, cumin seeds benefit the digestive system and also helps in cancer v and stomach and liver tumors. How many of us remember when we have some vomiting sensation or nausea, chew raw cumin seeds to soothe, at least I used to have them like this. More interesting info about Cumin can be found on WHFoods site and on Wikipedia too.

When Sunita of Sunita's world announced the event for Think Spice....think Cumin this Jeera Aloo sounded a perfect entry. I came across this recipe on Khana Khazana by Sanjeev Kapoor a great chef/cook and a lovely host. If you remember the Mother's Day episode, his mother was invited and this was here signature dish. Since then I had been cooking and enjoying this dish. Very quick and simple one to make and happily goes well with rice, biryani, pulao, rotis/Indian flat bread or simply a side dish instead of Mashed Potatoes, why not?

Jeera Aloo - Crushed Cumin with Potatoes

Jeera Aloo

Source: adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana
Cuisine: Punjabi, India
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Makes: 4-5 people
Ingredients:
6 red skinned medium size potatoes, boiled and chopped into 3/4 th inch cubes
1 tsp of cumin seeds/jeera
2 tbsp of cumin seeds/jeera, roasted and crushed coarsely
1 tbsp of coriander seeds/dhaniya, roasted and crushed coarsely
1 tbsp of raw mango powder/amchur
1 tbsp of ground cumin powder/jeera powder
1 tsp of chilli powder/cayenne pepper/mirchi powder
½ tsp of turmeric powder/haldi
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
few curry leaves
salt as per taste
2-3 tbsp of oil
mint /cilantro leaves for garnishing
Method:

1. Pressure cook the potatoes, upto 3 whistles be careful not to over cook them, else they will turn mushy-mushy. Cut them into 3/4th inch cubes and keep aside.
2. Take a deep bottom sauce pan/bartan (hindi word). Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil on a medium flame, yes I am right you have to at least take 2 tablespoons of oil and you will know why we require that much amount, common its better than using 1 slab of butter..hehe!
3. To this add the cumin seeds, let them fry for few seconds, then add the curry leaves, coarsely crushed cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fry for a min- remember do not reduce the heat/flame. You must be seeing foam like thing in your pan don't worry thats nothing but the spices are frying grandly.
4. Now add the cumin powder, raw mango powder/amchur, chilli and turmeric powder and lastly salt.
5. Keep on stirring for a min check the hot and salt levels in the mixture and then add the cubed potatoes, mix well so that all the potato pieces are thoroughly coated with the spice mixture.
6. Garnish with mint/cilantro/coriander leaves and serve hot with rice, rice, biryani, pulao, rotis/Indian flat bread.

Crushed Cumin with red skinned Potatoes