Thursday, March 21, 2013

Madurai Special - Moinkha


Even though, the young generation inducted their food habit with modern foods like pizza, burger, our grandma and grandpa aged nutritious village foods such kuzhaiputtu, paniyaram, kuzhu kanji grace is not declined in Madurai.

Witness many food carts (thalluvandi) around Madurai streets and bazzar, those carts have many forgotten food items of other cities (the same may be declined from the food custom). This says that Maduraitties are brilliant in enjoying and tasting the food. If you make a visit to Madurai Meenakshi bazzar, you observe colourful and strings food items in cart. Among that yellow coloured wringled strings (Noodles) are Moinkha. After hearing the name, you feel there is no relation between moinkha and us. Of course, this is a traditional food from Burma. Moinkha means preserved or conserved food.

We have a controversy for many years, who had introduced the noodles either China or Italy? The recent archeological study through Chinese inscriptions reveals the presence of noodles in Chinese food customs during 300 A.C., through information; researchers gave an answer for the long year’s pending debate. In this form, the pride of introducing noodles is for Asians.

Though China was the introducer, now many other countries are in the taste clutch of Noodles. Noodles entered India during Second World War, from last ten years noodles food completely dominated our nation.

Initial stage the Burmian refugees introduced and sold the noodles varieties in food cart at large cities of Tamil Nadu. In course of time big companies get into the market and introduced packed noodles at doorstep thus scatter the food cart business.

Moinkha is a simple, comfortable evening tiffin and nutritious too. Moinkha noodle is specially prepared in Maida (refined flour). Also, garlic and onion fried in hot oil. Steamed noodles, fried onions and garlic combined together after that Paejha, specially made bread is crushed over the noodles. In blending with raw rice flour, soaked bengal gram is mixed and deep fried in hot oil, is called Paejha. Over this mixture coriander leaves is sprinkled and plantain pith soup is poured. Now the Moinkha is ready to eat.

Indeed….. Flavour kindles the nose and tastes touch the taste buds.

Don’t miss to taste Moinkha at Madurai Meenakshi bazzar……

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Vegetable Kurma - lover of vegeterians



Hie friends,

Sharing you the researched and tested vegetable kurma recipe from my kitchen. Kurma recipe is the most sought recipe in internet and this is a dish liked by all level of people. This recipe really helps the foodies who want to dish out in real Indian food outlet taste. We carefully prepared this recipe to goes with wide range of delicacies. Try this at your house and leave your valuable comments.



Refined Oil
100g
Sounf
3g
Cinnamon
2g
Cardamom
2g
Onion
300g
Tomato
200g
Dalda (Vanaspati)
30g
Ginger
15g
Garlic
15g
Coriander leaves
5g
Mint leaves
5g
Turmeric Powder
3g
Chilli powder
5g
Green chillies
3g
Carrot
200g
Beans
100g
Dried Green peas
50g
Cauliflower
100g
Boiled Potato
200g
Coconut
01 nr
Cashew bits
50g
Khus Khus (Poppy seeds)
20g
Salt
20g
Garam Masala
1g
Water
2 ½ litre


        PREPARATION METHOD

     
  1. Boil the potato separately in cooker. Mash it slightly and keep it aside.
  2. Finely chop the onion and tomatoes. Also cut carrot, beans and cauliflower in to fine cubes.
  3. Heat oil and dalda, season now with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and saunf. Fry till it gives good flavour and splutter.
  4.  Add chopped onion, mint leaves, green chillies now and sauté it without changing onion colour.
  5. Add ginger and garlic paste and fine chopped tomatoes. Mix all well.
  6. After onion and tomato mix together, add the masala and salt. Let the masala brings good flavour by continuous stirring.
  7. Then add 1 ½ litres of water now, when it boils add the dices of beans, carrot and cauliflower. Cover the vessel and allow the vegetables to cook.
  8. Make qurma paste out of grated coconut, khus khus and cashewnuts by adding 250 ml of water. Now add qurma paste to the masala, mix it all well now.
  9. Once the vegetables and qurma paste mixes well, reduce the flame slightly and add remaining water to the qurma.
  10. Cover and stir whenever it necessary. Cook for another few minutes in slow fire. Check the consistency.
  11. Finish with fine chopped coriander leaves.
Good time of your lighter moment with the lover of millions of vegetarians. Nice bite :)

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Paal Bun (Milk Bun) – a challenge to Patisserie


Paal Bun is an impressible and most sought bite in tea stalls of Southern Tamilnadu. Some food makes you to feel, involves you to get know the recipe and induces you to prepare at home. But this soft bite paal bun stands for its extraordinary entities thus pulls our taste buds for its beautiful whitish sugary skin, neatly adorned desiccated coconut makes our eyes pop up and its preparation style challenging French patisserie custom. When I visited to taste paal bun, we read out the paal bun available only in particular time of a day and sold out in short span of time. Generally Paal bun offered in local tea stall tastes good rather than bakery shops.

Curd is mixed to produce lactic acid which is responsible for lactic taste and texture thus makes paal bun soft like as bun. This lactic acid ferments the paal bun mixture and reserves the mixture for fermentation between 1 and 1 ½ hour, if time raises the bun will lose its puff and soft nature when it is deep fry. Few add milk powder as one of the ingredient for name sake because in Tamil “Paal” means “Milk”.

100g of sugar granules is diluted in 250ml of water then put one kg refined flour (maida), 300ml curd, little refined oil and soda salt. Prepare it into soft blend, hold for fermentation and finally deep fry it in gentle hot oil.Get ready with sugar syrup made with milk, which is perfectly prepared two strings consistency. Let the deep fried buns to bath in sugar syrup for 20 minutes, afterwards precisely arrange paal bun in tray and brush up the buns with remaining sugar syrup. Atlast colourful desiccated coconut sprinkled over for eye appealing.

When we ordered for paal bun, was served paal bun with hot mixture (sev) and tastes really good. Combination of sweet and mild hot attaches the tea / coffee as its best friend.

Of course the genuine preparation style forerun the patisserie methods, have the cheer up with master creation "Paal Bun".