SEMIYA KHEER WITH MILKMAID

KHEER is the most common sweet made at home for festive occasions especially in west and southern parts of India.
I too make it very often and the most common way is by boiling milk till it is reduced to half and then adding the semiya and nuts.
In order to get this process a bit faster I added half a tin of milkmaid, it not only hastens the process but gives a richer and creamier tasting kheer.. 

so here is how I made it...

INGREDIENTS:

Roasted Semiya/Vermicelli - 1/2 cup
Warm milk – half lit app 21/4 cups (doesn’t make much of a difference if it’s a little more than the given amount, if it’s less it will be thicker and mushy so it’s best  that you have more milk for a runny consistency)

Milkmaid - 1/2 tin or 200ml

Crushed cardamom - 2-3 pods
Saffron strands - a pinch, soaked in 1 tbsp warm milk

Ghee – 1 tbsp (app you can add 1 tbsp more)
Cashewnuts/Badam – 5 each finely chopped (this too you can add according to your taste) personally I prefer less dry-fruits to keep the consistency smooth and runny.

 

METHOD

In a deep pan add ghee and roast the semiya (if they are not the already roasted variety) till they change colour or are a light golden brown, Remove and keep aside.

Now boil milk and add in the semiya,

At this stage add the nuts (some prefer to roast the nuts in ghee before adding)

Cover and cook for 10 minutes or till the semiya are cooked. 
Mix in the milkmaid and stir well.

Add the crushed cardamom and keep stirring.
Mix in the saffron soaked in warm milk.
Cook for a further 2-3 minutes and then switch off the flame.
Garnish with saffron strands and serve warm or chilled. (I prefer it chilled)

 

 

EVERY DAY MEAL...

I share my thali's or everyday meals on my goan food blog.So I decided that its time I did a meal post today
on this blog.
In India, meals are very important part of our daily life.. and In my home as my hubby comes home for lunch we have a complete meal every day even for lunch .Most of our morning is spent in planning and cooking food. The preparations are quite elaborate due to the grinding or the use of lots of spices and other condiments.
My husband is a typical goan who loves a complete meal with one vegetable sometimes two, rice, dal or fish curry, fish fry and one more for the second helping of rice.
The thali that I am sharing today is a pure veg one and so I have made.
 

CABBAGE BHAJI
BHENDI MASALA (with coconut ...without onion or garlic)
TOMATO SAMBHAR for eating with rice, ROTI or whole wheat flour chappati
and PAPAD.

LUNCH BOX ...

My son loves rice bhakri .. This is very nutritious and easy to prepare...

This Bhakri is very commonly prepared for breakfast in Goa , It is wholesome and keeps you full till lunch.

I pack it for my sons lunch box and can be eaten at lunch time instead of breakfast as its made up of rice . I also add onions, carrots to make it nutritionally enhanced.

INGREDIENTS:
Take 2 cups of rice flour in a bowl
Add finely chopped onion to it (one medium)
2 finely chopped green chilies
½ cup freshly grated coconut.
Salt and 1 tsp sugar.
I add freshly chopped coriander too as I love the smell of coriander.. but traditionally in Goa no one adds coriander leaves.


METHOD:
Mix all the ingredients together till they have a consistency of a uttapam batter or bhajia batter.
Pour it on a hot tawa or griddle with a spoon or with your hand (first dip your hand in water and then make a round circle on the tawa with your hand) , the you should make it neither thick or thin.
Cover it with a lid let it become brown on one side
Flip it over to the other side and let it brown on the other side too .
Remove smear with a spoon of homemade ghee.

And goans favorite breakfast is ready you can eat it with green chutney or just like that.
BHAKRI IS SIMILAR TO THE SOUTHINDIAN ADAI, OR THE MARATHI THALEPEETH.

I also add some nuts or fruit with this so that the lunch box is nutritionally complete.

CHINESE SEMI-HOMEMADE BHEL...

This is a quick snack item..I call it a SEMI HOMEMADE DISH AS YOU USE ALREADY Made INGREDIENTS AND make something quick .As many of the ingredients in this dish are store bought I try to add some healthy stuff to the whole thing to make myself feel virtuous by increasing the nutritional value of that dish.

Here the only work that you have to do is the chopping, cutting and mixing.

Now here I will just give you the method with the ingredients required.

Take a bowl mix together finely sliced onions, finely sliced green, yellow and red pepper, a little cabbage, carrot all finely sliced. Add 1 tbsp of ready made schezwan sauce, 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup, a little pepper and salt.

Schezwan sauce gives the required heat and tanginess while the ketchup gives the sweetness, finally add the fried noodles ( these can be store bought or just fry raw dry noodles in hot oil till crisp ).

I garnished it with some sev .. to give it the regular chaat item type of feel.