Aval Payasam

Ingredients:

• Aval / Rice flakes : ½ cup
• Cardamom pdr : ¼ Tsp
• Ghee : 1 Tbsp
• Milk : 2 1/3 cup 
• Sugar : ½ cup
• Cashews : few
• Kismis : few

Heat milk in a heavy bottom vessel or in a uruli. Meanwhile, rinse the aval  in cold water and quickly transfer it to a kitchen tissue. Then saute this aval in ghee until it is well coated with ghee and a nice aroma comes. Boil the milk in high flame for few minutes and add the above sauted aval into the it and stir it in low flame. Next, add sugar and dissolve it completely with the milk mixture. Let it sit for about 20 to 25 mins or until it reaches a thick consistency. Remove it from fire and sprinkle cardamom pdr on it. Finally, add fried cashews and kismis into it. Let it sit for a few mins.

Hershey's 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake

Hershey's 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake with eggless White Chocolate Mousse filling and blanketed with Milk Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 1¾ cups
• Cocoa pdr ¾ cup
• Baking pdr 1½ Tsp
• Baking soda 1½ Tsp
• Sugar 2 cups
• Vegetable oil ½ cup
• Vanilla essence 2 Tsp
• Boiling water 1 cup
• Milk 1 cup
• Salt 1 Tsp
• Egg 2

Pre-heat the oven to 180° C or 350° F. Grease two 9 inch pans and keep it aside. Combine the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Then, add the wet ingredients into it, except the boiling water, and beat for 2 mins in medium speed. Stir in boiling water and combine well. Pour it into the greased pan and bake it for 30 to 35 mins. Transfer it onto a wire rack and cool it. 

For Eggless White Chocolate Mousse:

• White Chocolate 170 gm
• Whip cream 1½ cup

Microwave the chopped white chocolate and ¼ cup of cream in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 2 mins (it took 1½ mins for me). Stir after 1 min and keep stirring until the chocolate has completely melted. Cool it to room temperature.

Beat the rest of the cream until soft peaks form (do not over beat it). Then, add the half portion of the whipped cream into the cooled melted chocolate and stir with whisk until it has blend well. Add the remaining whipped cream and mix it. Chill it. 

For Chocolate Ganache:

• Milk chocolate (at room temp) 300 gm
• Fresh cream 200 gm

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Heat the fresh cream until it starts to boil and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Mix it well until it melts completely. Cool it to room temperature and refrigerate it for 10 mins.

For assembling the cake:

Cut the cooled cake into layers. (Here, I halved the recipe and baked the cake in two 6 inch spring form pans.) Arrange the first layer of the cooled cake in the pan and spread the white chocolate mousse evenly on top of it. Then, put the second layer of cake followed by mousse (keep aside a little of the mousse for decoration). Then, put the final layer of cake and refrigerate it for 1 hr. Then, take out the cake from the pan and decorate it with the cooled milk chocolate ganache. Do the rest of the icing with ganache and chocolate mousse. Cool it. 

[Recipe courtesy for chocolate mousse: CraftRecipes.com]

Palada Payasam....Onam Special

Ingredients:

• Rice Ada (the white flakes seen in the picture) : 1 cup
• Boiled milk : 6 cup
• Sugar : ¾ to 1 cup
• Cardamom pdr : ¼ Tsp
• Ghee : 2 Tbsp
• Water : 2 cup

Boil the milk and keep it aside. Wash and drain the ada. Boil  water in a vessel and remove it from fire. Then soak the drained ada  for 20 mins. Again, drain the soaked ada and rinse under cold water 2 to 3 times. Keep it aside. Heat a heavy bottom vessel (uruli) and pour 1 tbsp of ghee. Add sugar into it and melt it completely. Add the drained ada into it and saute it with ghee - sugar mix in low flame till it turns into light golden colour. Next, pour the boiled milk into the sauted ada. Boil the milk until it turns thick and it changes to a light pink colour. This process takes about 35 to 40 mins. Finally, add the cardamom pdr and combine well. Remove it from fire. Your Palada Payasam (Milk Ada Kheer) is ready.

[Recipe Courtesy: Kothiyavunnu.com]

Tomato Paneer Curry

Ingredients:

• Paneer: 1 cup
• Chopped onion: 2 med
• Ginger paste : 1 Tsp
• Garlic paste : 1 Tsp
• Tomato : 1 big grounded
• Tomato sauce : 5 Tbsp
• Chilly pdr : ½ Tsp
• Sugar : ½ Tsp
• Pepper pdr : 1 to 2 Tsp
• Turmeric pdr : ¼ Tsp
• Garam masala : ¼ Tsp
• Coriander leaves : ¼ cup
• Water : 1 cup
• Salt
• Oil

Saute the chopped onion till it turns light brown in colour. Put ginger-garlic paste into it and saute it. When it is void of its' raw smell, pour the grounded tomato and stir it well. When it turns dry and oil starts to separate, add turmeric pdr, chilly pdr, garam masala and pepper dpr and roast it well in low flame. Then pour 1 cup water, sugar and, tomato sauce and required amount of salt and boil it. Finally add the paneer pieces and boil it in low flame for 10 more minutes. When the gravy starts to thicken add the chopped coriander leaves and remove it from fire.

Dal Coins / Parippu Vada

Ingredients:

• Channa dal 1 cup
• Onion 1 medium
• Green chilly 2 to 4
• Ginger 1 med piece
• Curry leaves
• Salt
• Oil

Soak channa dal for 2 hrs. Drain it completely and crush it with onion, curry leaves, green chilly and ginger. Don't grind it into a paste (use the pulse button of the mixer to crush it). Transfer it into bowl and mix the required amount of salt. Combine it well and make small balls out of it. Then, gently press the balls in between the hand and keep it aside. Heat oil in a kadai and put the vada into it. Then, reduce the flame and fry till crispy and brown. Transfer it into a tissue paper. Serve it hot with tea and banana, yes you heard it right, banana is a great combination with vada.