Monday, August 19, 2013

Free culinary education - The Hindu

Free culinary education - The Hindu

A Centre for Indian Culinary and Higher Hospitality was established at Mary Matha College in Periyakulam near here on Friday to provide free culinary education to school dropouts.

While inaugurating centre, R. Suresha Kumar, Executive Chef, Heritage Madurai, said that such measure would generate employment opportunity for poor youths and help them develop entrepreneurship skills in their minds.

Deserving dropout youths aged between 18 and 23 years will be identified in and around Periakulam for this training, said centre’s chef Raj Mohan.

The college had tie-up with star hotels in Madurai to extend high quality training to the chosen one. The centre had plans to offer stipend to trainees from the next academic year. An opportunity will be created for trainees to meet experts in hospitality and professionals in culinary during training programme.

Besides, it planned to offer hands on training for homemakers on one Sunday of every month, he added.



Friday, August 16, 2013

Kozhukattai – honour of festivals


Kozhukkatai (dumplings) is a godly prasadham to decorate all our beautiful and auspicious moments. We can prepare multiple varieties from few food items but the prepared varieties should be accepted by the people i.e., includes Kozhukattai also.                
                      
It is easier to prepare many tastier varieties out of very few ingredients. We know that there are few nuances in preparing the kozhukattai dough, the taste which you are giving to kozhukattai lies in the dough stability. The dough stability provides extraordinary whitish colour and perfect shape without drift. At present times Kozhukattai is an uncomplicated dish to prepare at home but currently it is fading in the modernism.

Happy to provide the simple Kozhukattai dough preparation and also the basic kozhukattai recipe through this write up. Try to dish out this as Vinayagar Chathurthi special or any auspicious occasion at your home and receive god’s blessings.

Kozhukkatai Dough

Kozhukkatai Rice flour – 2 cup
Salt – ¼ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Tepid water – 1 cup

Sweet stuffing

Jaggery, broken – 100g
Cardamom – ¼ tsp
Coconut, grated – 100g
Channa dal, boiled - 50g

Method

1.Sprinkle water and prepare tough kozhukattai dough. Apply oil and reserve it for sometime.

2.Mix all stuffing ingredients gently. In the meantime, prepare even balls from dough.

3.Apply little oil in your palms and just press the dough. Keep the stuffing in the  pressed dough and cover the balls neatly.

4.Keep the balls in the Idli steamer and steam it for the next 10minutes.

5.Serve the delicious sweet kozhukattai now.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Urulaikilangu Roast - Potato Roast in Tamil Nadu Style



Diced Potato, deep fried – 150gms
Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp
Whole urad dal – ¼ tsp
Dry Redchillies – 2 nrs
Vegetable oil
Curryleaves – a few
Chillipowder – 1tbsp
Coriander powder – 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
Onion,chopped – 100gms
Tomato, Chopped – 50gms
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves, chopped
Salt

Method

1. Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, Urad dal, dry redchillies and Curryleaves.

2. Add onion, just fry then add tomatoes. Stir both for somemore minutes

3. Put masala powder one by one, but chilli powder is first. Add salt and sauté the mixtrure. Just sprinkle water.

4. Now add fried potatoes, mix well with masala. Finally end with cumin powder and ghee.

5. Garnish with little coriander leaves