Sweet potato/ squash - rajma(navy beans) tikki- gluten free bread crumbs/ egg free/ nut free

 I use GLUTEN free bread crumbs only !!!!

Diwali 2014 mehindi by me for my friends 😀

Lazy girls have more fun 😀

Ya that's me... Been a real lazy one, procrastinating n all !!forgive me friends... Sorry for going AWOL like that. I have had a very interesting few months but didn't make an effort to blog about it.
Have introduced new foods gone off  AIP protocol step by step. Created a few recipes of my own ,
did 4 paintings 😀.

Baked a few grain free , gluten and sugar free cakes .

Hosted my daughter's birthday, made her birthday cake ( grain free , refined sugar free Black Forest cake), ditto vanilla cupcakes.

Hand made all the return gifts( sea themed gel candles and candies )

Pictures in next post with recipes 😜. Did navarathri vratham ,and read a ton of balakumaran books

 ( which was the primary reason why I did not post I guess 😝).have taken new resolution, going to make every Wednesday my new post day, hopefully I'll stick to this routine. 

Good night for now!!!!

Autoimmune Elimination Day 14- AVIAL ( AIP Friendly )

YAY !!! 2 weeks...I am very tempted to star re introducing foods, my doctors appointment is on Monday...gosh! will I have the strength to go on for another 9 days???? we were supposed to meet friends for dinner tonite!! thanks lord muruga for not letting that happen.
I can never be 100% when eating outside, so haven't eaten out in the last 2 weeks :)

Today was a good day, I worked out in the morning, made a new variety of lemon pickle today. I will share the recipe soon, But legs are paining like hell man!!!!!

Post work out : apple
Breakfast at 10.00 : avocado cucumber salad.
Lunch : Snake gourd stir fry
snack : snake gourd stir fry
snack : avocado cucumber salad.
very very late dinner at 9.30 pm - AIP Friendly avial.


AVIAL :

Ingredients :

1 carrot
1 plantain ( not a ripe one)
1/4 of a cauliflower head
Coconut flakes 4 tbsp.
Coconut milk 4 tbsp.
Black pepper 1/2 tsp
Sea Salt
1/2 lemon wedge

METHOD:

• Cut the veggies into large cubes.
• Half Boil them in 1/2 a glass of water with turmeric powder and a pinch of salt.
• Once boiled drain and reserve the liquid.
• grind coconut flakes, coconut milk and pepper together
• heat coconut oil in a pan.
• add the boiled veggies, ground paste, salt and 1/2 of the reserved water.
• boil till all the veggies are well cooked.
• remove from heat squeeze lemon and enjoy.

Note : serves 2 or be like me and plan to eat it in the morning too :)

 

Autoimmune Elimination day 8 to 13

I have consolidated these days coz the went by almost the same .

No work outs any of the days no inclination to do so,
Happy but a little hazy and slow.
Slightly sluggish during afternoons.
Minor dizzy spells on day 12 and 13.
Almost considering giving up, but doing it out of sheer will, lets see how tomorrow goes.
My inner B****h is dead, The word is zoned out, I have no rage/anger/irritation/enthusiasm/joy/
Its a mere existence. But I have been very strict with my diet protocol.

My foods are as follows.

• roasted cauliflower casserole
• zucchini pasta in avocado lemon basil pesto
• Butternut squash soup with caramelized onions.
• Zucchini soup with basil lemon pesto
• Tapioca sago upma
• roasted cauliflower with artichoke
• avocado cucumber salad

I hope to add the recipes when I eventually find my strength, I have stopped checking my weight so I don't know about improvements in that area,

POSITIVES :

• noticing some slimness around the waist alone.
• Minor mood swings, vastly diet related (eg : oooh I want to follow thius diet for 30 days, followed by, can I stop in 2 weeks? can I ? can I ?)that too during monthly cycle.
• I feel hungry every 2 hrs. on the dot 2 hrs. and eating small portions keeps me happy.
• I am not able to eat a whole bowl of zucchini pasta ( that says a lot)
• Absolutely no cravings. I am not very prone to cravings, but I used to occasionally feel like indulging myself, But I don't even feel that anymore.
• I have realized that over these three years I have lost all semblance of eating right.
• I ate too little, had too much gap between meals and ate too much post sunset, and even though indulged only a little it was mindless.
• mindless eating is WRONG according to me.
• Hopeful to go back to a more mindful eating habit.

 

Autoimmune Elimination Day -7 / Lauki( ash guard) curry and thandu keerai( greens) poriyal

I am not inclined to add those recipes to this blog, Coz it was Horrible, I wouldn't wish that monstrosity even on people I dislike( JUST kidding!!! I would SOOO give it to them :P).
And I fed that to my family!!!!! Which in retrospect was a good thing, They requested that I should definitely be cooking separately for them henceforth.( My 1yr old spat it on my face!!! POINT TAKEN). But the most surprising thing was this did not make me wanna stop.....mmhmm MASOCIST MUCH???

we'll find out as the days progress.

autoimmune elimination day-6/SWEET POTATO KALE GRATIN

For the first time i have discovered a recipe that needed no changes to fit my elimination plan,

thank you Becky of A Calculated Whisk, for this wonderful recipe



http://www.acalculatedwhisk.com/2014/01/sweet-potato-kale-gratin-whole30-day-8.html

I ate this for lunch and dinner,

Morning-  my apple sauce cake and snacks were fruits  :)

Autoimmune Elimination day 4- Gobi manchurian ( Soy free/ Nightshade free/Gluten free)

Morning 7.00 am - Banana

Snack 10.30 am - Strawberry and coconut milk smoothie

Lunch 12.30 pm - Okra kulambu

Snack - 2.30 pm - Raw papaya salad

Snack 4.30 pm - Strawberry and coconut milk smoothie

Dinner 8.00 pm- Allergy free gobi Manchurian

Snack 11.00 pm- banana


Allergy free Gobi Manchurian :

INGREDIENTS :

• Organic Cauliflower - 1 head
• Red onion sliced thin - 1/2
• Strawberry tart- 8 mashed
• coconut amino - 2 tbsp.
• coconut oil - 1 tbsp.
• coconut oil spray
• garlic- 3 pods
• Ginger - 1 inch grated

METHOD :

• Cut Cauliflower into medium sized florets, add a pich of salt and mix well.
• Spray coconut oil on a baking sheet and roast cauliflower in the oven for 20 mins
• Heat oil in a pan .
• add ginger, garlic, onions cook for 3 mins
• add strawberries and cook a little
• add coconut amino.
• now add the roasted cauliflower, and cook till the sauces are well incorporated with the cauliflower.
• Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE : Though not as yummy as the regular Manchurian, this will be a welcome treat for tongue in search of spice ( நாக்கு செத்துபோச்சு  பா)

 

 

Autoimmune Elimination day 5 - Apple overload

Applesauce banana zucchini cake

My search for a grain free/nut free /egg free/dairy free/ sweetener free Baked something lead to this recipe. The original recipe belongs to http://thesaffrongirl.com/banana-zucchini-breadcakemuffins-nut-free-grain-free-egg-free-sweetener-free/. But had to make minor modifications to make it match my criteria.

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 1/2 Homemade Applesauce.
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, not melted, but soft
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1/2 cup coconut flour

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
2. In a large bowl, mix the Applesauce, coconut oil, orange zest, vanilla extract, and cardamom. With a hand beater, beat until smooth and fluffy.
3. Add the sea salt and baking soda and incorporate well.
4. Add the coconut flour and mix well.
5. Fold in the zucchini.
6. Pour into a 6X3 loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes.
7. Allow to cool before removing from loaf pan, and to cool in the fridge for 1/2 hour  before slicing.

Note : I have used Apple sauce instead of mashed bananas, resulting in a overly moist cake, that falls apart very easily. But I had it for breakfast next morning and it was Good.


Morning 8.00 - Raw papaya salad with mango Raw and ripe

Snack 10.00 - Apple/celery/olive/dill salad

Lunch - Oven roasted tindora ( gourd variety)

Snack - A bad batch of coconut cookies ( Baking disaster :))

Snack - Home made apple sauce

Snack - 1 slice Home made Applesauce zucchini bread

Dinner - Apple salad with avocado

Snack 11.00 pm- 1/2 Apple



 

OKRA PULIKULAMBU CURRY - Vendaika pulikolambu ( AIP/Paleo/Allergy free/Nightshade free)

 No Nighshades!!!! Hmmm.......Having been used to a variety of Sambars and Pulikulambu's in my usual diet, the lack of  Nightshades especially tomatoes and chili powder almost gave me depression.
What will I eat!!Bah!! Research! Research! Research! Lead to Tamarind is not a nightshade!!! Yay!! And is safe to eat during the Autoimmune Protocol, It is possible that the makers of the diet have never heard of it, It is a staple part of a south Indian diet. Now I have one ingredient move my recipe forward and thus was born the Modified Pulikulambu .

Now this pulikulambu is a dish that can be made with eggplant (nightshade)/ OKRA/ Plantain/Pumpkin. I had to modify this dish to fit into the Autoimmune mold.
Like remove the tomato, remove the seeds that are used for tempering and use black pepper instead of red chilli powder..U can but Tamarind paste at the Indian grocery

INGREDIENTS :

• Okra 300 gms , cut both ends and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Pearl Onions 7, peeled and halved
• Garlic 7, peeled and halved
• Tamarind paste( Homemade) 3 tbsp, mixed with 1/2 cup water
• Sweet potato Mash 3 Tbsp.
• Turmeric 1/4 tsp.
• Pepper 1 tsp/ to taste
• Salt to taste.
• Coconut oil 3 tbsp.

METHOD:

• Heat 1tbsp oil in a Iron deep pan dish
• fry the chopped Okra lightly and remove and place it in a bowl
• add 2 tbsp oil to the same pan and add onions and garlic, and saute for 3 mins in low heat.
• Add turmeric, pepper and salt, mix well
• add sweet potato mash and tamarind water.
• add Fried okra to this mix, cover and cook till vegetable is tender.

Note : Eat this dish with Cauliflower rice .


 

Autoimmune Elimination day 3

6.00 A.M -  Small Banana

7.00 A.M-  Apple.

9.30 A.M - Avocado Leek Salad

11.30 A.M- Sago Upma

2.30 P.M - Autoimmune Lady's Finger Pulikulambu gravy & Snake guard Stir fry.

4.00 P.M - peach

8.30 P.M - Same as lunch.

11.00 P.M - small banana

 

Autoimmune Elimination Day 2

Early morning 7 am: Small banana

Breakfast 9.30 am: Leftover Nomato bake

Snack 11.30 am: Coconut water 500 ml

Lunch 12.30 pm: Avocado leek salad with orange ( http://theorder-n-chaos.blogspot.com/2014/05/avocado-leek-salad-autoimmune-i-think.html)

Snack 2.00pm : small organic apple

Snack 3.00 pm : small banana

Snack 4.00 pm : Snake gourd stir fry( http://theorder-n-chaos.blogspot.com/2014/05/snake-gourd-stir-fry-aippaleoscd.html)

Dinner 7.30 pm : Sago Upma


Notes :

Woke up feeling lethargic, Almost decided not to go to my baby's Mom & Me class. Then went late as I forced myself to go out of pure guilt :(. Was hungry the whole freaking day, thought about nothing but food, wasn't very pleasant to feel that way. ( Planned a lot of new recipes though ( one benefit). But the sense of lethargy was overwhelming. I did get some work done, did grocery, cleaned kitchen and house, all between 12.30 pm and 4.00pm. But it was more out of will power than actual  energy. The only time I actually felt full was after dinner of Sago upma.
I am starting to believe the reason people who go Autoimmune way don't do more than yoga and some walking is because they don't have the Drive to do it. Have a long way to go, lets see if my opinion changes.
 

SNAKE GOURD STIR FRY ( AIP/PALEO/SCD)

My need to eat something fast and AIP lead to this recipe, which is essentially a modified version of south indian snake gourd poriyal.


INGREDIENTS :

1. Snake gourd 1
2. Pearl onions 5
3. Coconut oil 1 tbsp.
4. salt as needed
5.Black pepper 1/4 tsp.
6.Coconut flakes 1 tsp.


METHOD :

1. Wash and cut the snake gourd length wise.
2. Remove the seed and pith using a metal spoon
3.Chop the snake gourd into fine cubes or cresents.
4. Heat coconut oil.
5. Add finely diced onions and saute for a minute.
6. Add cut snake gourd and saute well.
7. Add Salt, Cover and cook at low flame.
8. Switch off , let it cool and add dry coconut flakes and pepper.









 

Zucchini- NoMato BaKe

This was a Random Recipe I put together after reading up a new Nomato sauce recipe:

Tastes okay but had no choice!

Nomato sauce :

1/2  Leek chopped fine
5 large carrots chopped fine ( I don't peel my organic carrots)
5 pods Garlic
Basil leaves dry 1 tsp
Oregano dry 1 tsp
1/2 Lemon squeezed
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste
Coconut oil 2 tbsp.
Green chilies 1
Black pepper 1/2 tsp.


recipe:

Heat oil
Add leeks and garlic.
Add the Green chili.
Add Carrots and saute well.
Add the dry spices.
Add salt and Black pepper.
Add water till you just cover the veggies.
Cover and Cook for 30 minutes.
Let cool completely, Drain water and grind to a fine paste.
While grinding to a paste add lemon juice and Cider vinegar.


ZUCCHINI :

Spray coconut oil on a Small oven dish
Layer it with 2 Zucchini's cut into rounds.
Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.
Pour/ Spread Nomato sauce over it.
Cover with Shredded Lactose free cheese/ Daiya.
Cook at 350~F for 15- 20 mins.

Ta Da!!!






 

AVOCADO LEEK SALAD :

1 Large ripe Avocado
1 Large leek
1 Large Cucumber
1/2 lemon
Salt to taste


Recipe :

Chop Leek fine.
Peel and chop cucumbers
Mash the Avocado
Mix everything In a bowl
Add lemon juice and salt and ENJOY!!!

Amazing For a Lunch or Even a Snack

Autoimmune Elimination Day 1

Break fast 8.30 am : Honeydew melon juice 2 cups ( felt hungry 5 min after drinking it PAH!!)

Recipe : Peel and cut a Honey dew melon and Liquefy in a blender...Ta DA!!!!

Snack 10.00 am: The same aforementioned Melon Juice 1 cup

Lunch :  NoolKol Poriyal with pattani and thengai ( Kholrabi stir fry with peas and coconut )

Recipe :

1 large Kholrabi ( நூல்கோல் - துருவியது ) - Peeled and Grated in a carrot grater)
5 small pearl onions (சின்ன வெங்காயம் )
5 garlic pods ( பூண்டு)
1 Cup frozen organic peas (பட்டாணி )
1/2 Cup frozen coconut thawed ( துருவிய தேங்காய்)
2 Tbsp Coconut oil ( தேங்காய் எண்ணெய் )
3 Green chillies
1/2 tsp thyme
Sea Salt as per reqirement

Method :

Heat oil in a Iron Skillet
Saute onion, garlic and  green chillies
Add grated kohlrabi and cook well for 2 mins
Now add peas and salt
Reduce flame to low Cover and cook for 8 mins (keep stirring occasionally)
Once cooked add thyme and coconut and mix well.

Note : I am not very sure if Green chili is a nightshade or not, Still researching on that one)
Lunch tasted amazing, (Even my veg hating other half loved it along with rasam and rice ofcourse)

Snack 1.30 pm : 3 large strawberries

Snack 4.30 pm : Was ravenous by 4.30 almost pissed off about the whole thing!!
Avocado leek salad

That salad kept me Full all evening even till dinner.

Dinner :
Veg bake with homemade NOMATO sauce and veggie cheese (Lactose and soy free).


 

The RANT Post and Elimination diet for hashimotos

 After having met Amazing Dr.Sandeep Chaudhary (Endocrinologist), I firmly believe the best, way control my Hashi's is through diet, I have been successfully gluten free for more than a month and feel amazing even without starting on medication of any kind. My palpitations/Anxiety has gone and I haven't experienced any joint pain at all. On top of that the intensity of my anger has reduced a LOT!!!But I really want to starting getting a control over my weight now. I have gradually over three years piled up 40lbs and to me that's a lot to lose!!.

I have always had a tough time losing weight even though I have been a very healthy eater for the last ten years!! I've had to eat very little and work out a lot. To me that's a tough act to follow with a full time job as a homemaker in the US. I have not had any symptoms of a indigestion/constipation even before I went gluten free. But I have read that even having Hashimoto's is a sign of leaky gut!

The first step in treating a leaky gut is to stop eating the culprit foods that cause leaky gut in the first place.And the more I read the more I think that an Elimination diet is very important, So as to find out the foods that I am Allergic to. This diet is only to find out what foods I am reacting to, Others may react to other foods too so if you are planning to follow this please tread with caution )  I am planning to follow this elimination diet for 23 days, Since I read that it takes 21 to 23 days for any detox to work completely into our system.

There are chances that the weight that is lost during this elimination diet may even come back after weaning off it. My main goal here is to heal my system by identifying the allergens and prevent me from putting on weight easily for no reason at all. I am adult enough to understand that IF I ate junk I will put on weight, but what stumps me is that I put on weight even when I follow a healthy diet, I lose only when I eat next to nothing or less than 1000 calories, and I don't believe in eating like that!!

I am planning to follow Dr. K's autoimmune diet for my elimination diet and will be posting my menu for every day for the next 21 days and if there are any differences in weight/ emotion/quality of life.

FOODS TO EAT :

Most Organic Vegetables: including anise, artichoke, asparagus, beets, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chives, cucumbers, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsley, radishes, rhubarb, shallots, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, water chestnuts, watercress, yams, zucchini

Fermented foods: including kimchi, kombucha tea, pickled ginger, sauerkraut, unsweetened coconut yogurt.  You must make your own or buy one of the few brands that are genuinely fermented (not made with vinegar) and free of sugars or additives

Meats: including beef, chicken, fish, lamb, turkey.  Fish should be ocean caught with a low mercury content.  Swordfish, most tuna, and king mackerel are very high in mercury.  Select hormone-free and antibiotic-free chicken, turkey, and lamb.  Select beef that is grass fed, hormone free, and antibiotic free.  Best choice are grass-fed and pastured meats from a local farm.  Second best is organic.  Avoid factory-farmed meats that contain antibiotics and hormones.  For a source of good meat near you, Dr. K recommends the Weston A. Price Foundation as a resource, as well as ordering through his Resources page.

Low Glycemic Organic Fruits: including apples, apricots, avocados, berries, cherries, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, peaches, pears, plums

Coconut: including coconut butter, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut flakes, unsweetened coconut yogurt

Noodles: brown shirataki yam noodles (sold in Asian grocery stores).  Avoid the noodles that also contain tofu

Herbs and Spices: including basil, black pepper, cilantro, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, sea salt, thyme

Other: apple cider vinegar, herbal teas, olive oil, olives

FOODS TO AVOID :

Sugars: including agave, candy, chocolate, corn syrup, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, sucrose

High Glycemic Fruits: including bananas, canned fruits, dried fruits, mango, pineapple, raisins, watermelon

Grains: including amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, couscous, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye, spelt, wheat, wheat germ

Nuts and Seeds: including almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds

Gluten-Containing Compounds: including barbecue sauce, binders, bouillon, brewer’s yeast, cold cuts, condiments, emulsifiers, fillers, chewing gum, hot dogs, hydrolyzed plant and vegetable protein, ketchup, soy sauce, lunch meats, malt and malt flavoring, malt vinegar, matzo, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, nondairy creamer, processed salad dressings, seitan, some spice mixtures, stabilizers, teriyaki sauce, textured vegetable protein

Dairy Products and Eggs: including butter, cheeses, cow milk, creams, frozen desserts, goat milk, margarine, mayonnaise, sheep milk, whey, yogurt (except coconut)

Soy: including edamame, miso, soy milk, soy protein, soy sauce, tempeh, tofu

Fungi: edible fungi and mushrooms

Alcohol: all alcohol

Beans and Legumes: including black beans, lentils, peanuts, peas, pinto beans, soybeans

Nightshade Foods: including eggplant, paprika, peppers, potatoes, Tabasco® sauce, tomatillos, tomatoes

Other: canned foods, coffee, processed foods

I do realize that it leaves me with very few options as i just tolerate FISH and I am vegetarian otherwise. This is a true challenge :)


 

Neeraharam - நீராஹாரம்

If there is one thing that i have learned to do over time is Understand instincts and signs. When the UNIVERSE gives u a SIGN u listen!!!.The day after my doc visit where I was told that I might have Hashimotos, I came across an article on Neeraharam the magical food of past south India. Apparently one of the very few sources of Vitamin B6 and B12 for vegetarian. No wonder my Vegetarian Appai ( Paternal Grandmother) is still healthy at 80 with NO B12 deficiency, Which I have managed to achieve @ freakin 27. And in the same week my Dad called to tell that he and my mom have been having Neeraharam for a while now. I would have to be a colossal dumb ass to not take the signs.
So now for the last month Neeraharam has been the breakfast for the family on most days.
I intersperse it with idly or dosai once a week just for a change of routine.

Now for the RECIPE:

1 cup Organic brown rice ( the best option)/ or any other cooking rice of choice.  COOKED and COOLED
2 or 3 cups of water
1/2 cup curd
1 tsp salt

METHOD :

Pour 3 cups of water to cooked and cooled rice close and let it stand overnight.( Never add water to hot rice.).
Next day morning drain the water and keep aside.
Now mash half the rice and add to the other half of the rice.
To the above mix add curd and salt and mix well.
add some of the drained water to this and serve with raw pearl onions or pickle.
The DRAINED WATER is very IMPORTANT. make butter milk out of it and drink through out the day. The water contains probiotic bacteria and vitamin b12.


 

Lost time

A whole 2 months have passed by without a single post mmmhmmm...looks like the chaos is getting to me...But NO, I have been drafting out a new mode of displaying my blog post with hand drawn representations of the recipe. This is something that I used to do when taking down a recipe from some one else (psst esp my mom over the Phone ;P (don't smirk! I Know u all do it too). What better way to give a personal touch and also தூசித் தட்டிfy  my sketching/drawing skills from college years.Only when I started did I realize I have really lost touch, So please excuse my excuse of drawings, I'm hoping it will get better with time.

Also another big development over these months is I was diagnosed with mild Hashimotos by my general practitioner and have spent insane amount of time finding Gluten free and almost grain free recipes to relive the symptoms and heal. So behold people am planning to layout a lot of healthy and gluten free recipes. Don't be put off guys as my diet is primarily south Indian my recipes are mostly by default Gluten free. So the baking recipes needed tweaking and its a whole new world out there.
Some of my recipes might be a replication of other gluten free/ grain free divas out there. what I am planning to post is just how I have modified/ incorporated them in my daily life.

DIY laundry detergent - Environment and Pocket friendly

In my quest for all things natural and toxic free, I came across many laundry detergents that were digging a hole through the pockets (only figuratively, some of them were really good). This was a recipe that seemed easiest to make and is safe for cloth diapers too. This is not my own recipe , I learned this from eco crazy mom blog and  made a few tweaks here and there to suit my Indian clothes. This mix washes very well leaving the clothes with a clean fresh odor.

Ingredients :

1. Washing soda - 55 oz box ( I used arm & hammer)
2. Borax - 76 oz - 1 box
3. Baking soda - 4 lbs
4. Oxygenated bleach - 32 oz (  I used biokleen)
5. Dr.Bronners soap - 3 bars ( I used lavender,tea tree and orange)
6. 15 drops tea tree essential oil
7. 15 drops lavender essential oil.

the total cost of all these ingredients is around 40$ and this batch lasted me for a year.

METHOD :

1. Mix the first four ingredients in a big bucket
2. Grate the soap in a carrot grater and add to the above mix.
3. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients with a large spoon or spatula.
4. Add the essential oils and mix again.
5. Store in a air tight container.

TIP :  U can opt out of using the essential  oil  or use only half the amount if it seems not cost effective.







 

Iniya arambam - Pongalo Pongal Sakkarai Pongal

The Pongal 2014 that went by inspired me to start with Sakkarai Pongal.Though a routine recipe its some thing that I love when made perfectly and is a version that is so easy,it takes just 20 minutes to make :)

Ingredients:

1. Ponni raw rice - 1 cup
2. mung dhal ( பா சி  ப ரு ப் பு )- 1/2 cup
3. jaggery powdered - 1 cup or 1.5 cups based on sweet ness
4. ghee 3 tbsp.+ 2 tbsp.
5. scraped or dry coconut powder - 2 tbsp.
6.cashews and raisins - 2 tbsp.
7. salt- 1/2 tsp.
METHOD:

1. Pressure cook rice and dhal with 3 cups of water, I let it go for 4 to 5 whistles
2. Switch of and let it stand on burner wait till pressure releases completely
3. Open lid and add powdered jaggery, ghee and salt and mix well till all the jaggery is incorporated.
4. In a separate skillet heat ghee add cashews first and once it turns golden add raisins and remove from the stove .
5. Add fried nuts to the pongal
6. I usually sprinkle coconut just before serving.

TIP : If you are planning to keep the pongal till evening best not to add coconut at all or add it to each individual serving like decoration.

I'm still new at this, hoping to add pics/ pictorial representations to my future blogs :)