Puli Inji - tounge tickling side dish

Puli inji or inji puli AKA Pulikachal takes its place on a feast menu. The toungue tickler serves a good aid for digestion after a heavy meal. Goes well traditional main course rice dishes, curd rice, chapathi, dosa, etc

Ginger : Root Spice gives fragrance to any dish it is added to. Used in western as well as in Asian Cuisine.  Helps control lipids and free radicals.  Helps ease muscle pain, when had with a combination of hot water & lime it helps in weightloss as well as control blood cholestrol....helps to control nauseas, gas etc. however, it should be avoided while having acidity.

Tamarind: sour & slightly sweet fruit aids digestion. It is used around the world for various medicinal purposes. Anything in excess is not good. So eat it moderately. Always buy old tamarind which are dark in colour and will act friendly on your stomach. Its toungue tickling taste will make you crave for more....

Ingredients :

1. 2 Cups - Tamarind Extract (thick)
2. 1/3 cup - Jaggery (grated)
3. 1/4 cup - Finely chopped Ginger
4. 3 tbsp - Gingely Oil
5. 1 tsp  - Asafoetida
6. 1/2 tsp - Turmeric Powder
7. 2 Nos. - Green Chillies
8. 1/2 tsp - Red Chilli Powder
9. Salt to taste
10. 1 spring - Curry leaves
11. 1 tsp - Mustard seeds
12. 1/2 tsp - Chana dal  

Procedure :-

• Finely chop ginger and green chillies. Grate Jaggery.
• Heat oil in a wok, add mustard seeds. When they start crackling add chana dal.
• When dal turns golden colour, add curry leaves, green chillies and ginger pieces
• saute for 1 minute

• Add the Tamarind extract, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, grated jaggery, Asagfoetida, Salt to taste, Mix well.

• When it starts boiling, simmer the flame and let it cook for 20 minutes or till the oil separate and a thick consitency is formed. stir in between occasionally. [the aroma it spreads across the air will make everyone go gastronomic]

• Mouthwatering inji puli recipe is ready to kindle the intestinal juices.

Granny Square Crocheted Shoulder Bag

As all the bags i have made are given away as gift, thought to gift myself with a nice bag which can hold my purse and my mobile.

Crocheted this bag using granny square.

Chana Pindi (Chickpeas - Rawalpindi style)

Chana prepared in the simplest way without much of labour & don't use any bhuna masala, tomato, coriander leaves.

Ingredients :-

1. Chickpea - 1 Cup
2. Cardamom - 1 No.
3. Clove - 2 Nos
4. Cinnamon - 1/2" stick
5. Water - 2 Cups
6. Green Chillies - 2 nos (or as you prefer) - chop finely
7. Ginger - 1" piece  (chop finely)
8. Pomegranate seeds powder - 1tbsp (anardhana powder)
9. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
11. Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
12. Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
13. Amchur powder - 1 tsp (dry mango powder)
14. Ghee - 2 tbsp
15. Onion - 1 No. (finely chopped)
16. Salt to taste

Note : 

1. If you don't get anardhana powder then you can grind some fresh pomegranate seeds & use in the recipe. You can also prepare without pomegranate seeds but adding them will add to the taste of the pindi chana.

Procedure :-

• Soak chickpeas overnight. [or for 7 hours. If you forgot then don't worry, fill in a flask with hot water, put the chick peas in it and leave it for 3 hours]

• In a pressure cooker, put the chickpeas with 2 cups water, salt, cinnamon stick, Cloves and cardamom. When pressure builds up, simmer the flame & cook for 15 minutes (in hawkins cooker). Otherwise pressure cook till 3 whistles.
• If you use dry pomegranate seed

• Let the cooker cool down and strain the water, preserve it for later use.

• To the cooked chickpeas (chana) add Cumin powder, Coriander powder, Pomegranate seed powder (or freshly ground ones), Pepper powder, Garam masala and Dried mango powder (amchur), mix well.
• In a small wok heat the ghee & add it to the chana mixture, cook it for 1 minute by stirring continously

• Add the saved water in which chana is boiled

• Adjust the salt if required

• Bring to boil till it becomes semi solid consistency and ghee separates  (say 10 minutes) - stir occasionally.

• switch off the flame. Add the chopped onions (raw), mix well and serve hot with rice or rotis.

If freshly ground masalas are used, they add to the flavour of the dish. So I roast and crush them nicely in my mortar & pestle.

Jewellery Chest - Popsicle / ice stick craft

Got boosted by the reward yesterday. So sat up and made this beautiful jewellery chest to treat myself.... :-)

Easy fun project for kids.

 

This is how I made it

Materials :

1.  Popsicle sticks
2. Fevicol
3. Velvette cloth
4. Embellishments using pearls, chamkis etc
5. Glass colours
6. Gold glitter glue
7. Zari border

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Step :1 :  For the base, arrange sticks like this :- (make - 2) one for base and other for lid

Step 2 : Place one stick on top and one at the bottom as shown in the pic (do this for both pieces)

One piece keep for lid (that is over. only decoration need to be done)

The other piece use for base & proceed as shown in the following pictures.

similarly arrange sticks two vertical over lapping the end place two horizontal - alternatively by applying glue on the ends till you get the desired height.

Once the box is ready, decorate it with the decoration materials.

 

 

Chest is ready to hold your treasures :-)