WATER CHESTNUT JELLY

Love by young and old alike, jelly is such an easy dessert to make. Fill them with fresh fruits to encourage your kids to eat healthy and at the same time enjoy this healthy dessert. Using diced fresh water chestnut or else you could use other available fruit for making this dessert which is not very sweet yet so easy to prepare.

INGREDIENTS

1 pack (12g) agar2 powder
3 cups water
1 cup evaporated milk
250g sugar
3/4 cup water chestnut peel and dice
raisin and cherry for decoration

METHOD

1. Dissolve agar2 with 3 cups of water, add sugar and bring to boil over low heat.

2. Add diced water chestnut and evaporated milk, stir until boiling. Remove from fire.

3. Wet the mould with water then place raisin and cherry.

4. Pour the pudding on top of the dried fruit, allow to cool.

5. Refrigerate before serving.

Hearth And Soul 27
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Dr Laura's Tasty Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Delicious Dishes
Tuesday Night Supper Club
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tip Me Tuesday
Take Look Tuesday
Tuesdays At Table
Delectable Tuesday
Made From Scratch
A Little Birdie Told Me
Amaze Me August
Just Another Meatless Monday
Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays 

SPAGHETTI IN CURRY SAUCE

Unlike all spaghetti dishes use tomato based sauce but this one is different. The vegetable used is carrot but bean sprout could be added if you like. Instead of seafood you can substitute with chicken or meat, omit them for vegetarian version,the choice is yours.

INGREDIENTS

400g spaghetti boil until aldente
400g prawn peel and devein
200g carrot cubed
400g sweet potato mashed
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons curry powder
4 cloves garlic chopped
6 shallots sliced
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
2 lemon grass bruised
3 hard tofu cubed and fried
4 red chili sliced
4-6 cups water
coriander leaves
small limes
oil

METHOD

1. Heat the oil, fry onion until light brown. Add in ginger, garlic and lemon grass, fry until fragrant.

2. Now add chili powder, curry powder and little water, fry for a few minutes then add the prawn, stir until the color changes.

3. Pour 4 cups water, carrot and mashed sweet potato and cook until boiling.

4. Check the salt, add more water if it is very thick, remove from heat.

5. Place the spaghetti in an individual bowl, pour the sauce, garnish with fried tofu, red chili and coriander leaves. Squeeze the lime if you prefer sour taste.

CHICKEN SALNA

Tried to cook a new dish so settled for this  Chicken Salna  using chicken which is famous in Tamil Nadu normally served with parata, idli, dosa or even briyani. The amount of spices used have been modified to suit my taste so adjust accordingly.

KEERAI SAMBAR

Spinach is a favourite vegetable of my family, need to prepare this it in many ways so that they don't feel bored eating it. Combination of the green and dal produce an excellent side dish and this recipe is one of them.

INGREDIENTS

250g spinach chopped and washed
1/2 cup toor dal
1 cup tamarind juice
2 tomatoes chopped
6 dry chilli
1 teaspoon mustard seed
5 shallots sliced
a pinch of asafoetida
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons chana dal
2 teaspoons urad dal
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
oil
salt

METHOD

1. Boil dal with turmeric until soft.

2. Heat the oil, fry dry chilli, coriander seeds and chana dal then blend them.

3. Add the spinach, onion, water and tomato to the dal, cook until soft.

4. Now add salt and tamarind juice let it boils. Add ground ingredient, cook for 5 minutes.

5. In a separate pan, fry mustard seed, urad dal and asafoetida until it splutters then pour this onto spinach pot, cook for a few minutes then remove from heat.

6. Serve hot.

APAM (STEAMED CAKE)

This apam is very challenging to make since it used yeast and must be kept for one hour or more, sometime it doesn't rise at all so it becomes just like unleavened bread which is hard and sticky. So do check the yeast whether it is still active if not just discard it. Another guide is that the water in the steamer should be boiling before steaming, recommended the lid to be covered with clean cloth to avoid water dripping onto the steamed cake.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons rice flour
2 and 3/4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
food colouring
cake pan 10 inches diameter oiled

TOPPING
1 cup grated coconut (white part only)
a pinch of salt

METHOD

1. Boil 2 and 3/4 cups of water and sugar until dissolved. Cool.

2. In a bowl, combine yeast, warm water and a teaspoon sugar until frothy about 10 minutes.

3. Put flour and rice flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center, pour the yeast mixture.

4. Gradually add the syrup and food colouring, mix until well incorporated. Rest for one hour or until double the size.

5. Fill water in the steamer, cook until boiling and wrap the lid with clean cloth.

5. Pour the batter onto oiled cake pan and steam for 40 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean.

6. Steam the coconut of which salt is added for few minutes.

7. Remove the cake pan and place it into a pan filled with water to hasten the cooling process.

9. When completely cool, slice with sharp knife and top with grated coconut.