Mango Sweet and Sour Curry/Maangai Sweet Pachadi

Mango Sweet and Sour Curry/Maangai Sweet Pachadi

Unripe Mango is a tasty accompaniment for rice and chapatis.  Generally we make fresh pickle which is consumed within few days or with oil and/salt and chillies to preserve for a long period of time.  This particular sweet and sour curry is best eaten with Curd rice (rice mixed with natural yoghurt) or Chapatis (Wheat Roti) the sweetening agent here is Jaggery, natural palm sugar, making it healthier.

Raw Mangoes!

The general belief is that only ripened mangoes are nutritious and palatable and unripe fruits are commonly used for making pickles and sauces. The fact, however, is that unripe
mangoes are the best source of vitamin C.  A recent study according to ‘Deccan Herald’ a leading daily Newspaper from Indian state of Karnataka, confirms this.

Raw mango is an excellent food during summer, because it is said to protect our body from the negative effects of excessive summer temperature.

Ingredients:

Raw Mango (less sour variety) – 1 to 2

Crushed Jaggery – 2 to 4 tbsp. (according to the number of mangoes)

Salt – a pinch

 

Crushed jaggery!

Tempering:

Dry Red Chillies – 2 to 6(according to the spice level) OR

Crushed dried red chilli powder – ½ tsp.

(Less spicy variety)

Mustard Seeds/Kadugu – ½ tsp.

Black Gram/Ulundu/Ulundu – ½ tsp.

Curry leaves – few

Asafoetida/Perungayam/Hing – ¼ tsp. (fry well)

Oil – 2 tsp.

Method:

Cut raw-mango into 1cm wide strips, lengthwise. Pour oil in a cooking pan and add the tempering ingredients, wait until roasted. Add raw mangoes, toss in the salt, sprinkle some water and cover. In low flame, it will cook within few minutes, add the crushed Jaggery.  Mix well and cook for few more minutes.  Delicious Sweet and Sour Raw Mango is ready to serve.  Enjoy the raw mango with Rice/Chapati/on its own. 

Mango Sweet and Sour Curry/Maangai Sweet Pachadi!

Milder and Kids' Friendly Char Kway Teow



Milder and Kids' Friendly Char Kway Teow!

 

It's a very popular dish in Singapore and Malaysia. It's a favorite for most of the kids. Yet, when we look at the oil and sauce content, served in restaurants, we can conclude that it can be eaten only as treat, once or twice a year. That’s when I started looking for authentic Singaporean as well as Malaysian recipes. This is how a recipe for healthy version of kway teow emerged, with less oil, less sauce and less spices. This kids friendly recipe, doesn't compromise in taste as well.

 

After several attempts I finally came out with this milder version of Char Kway Teow, with few simple ingredients.

I tried both the ready-made kway teow from 'Kang Kang', as well as the dried Flat rice noodles from ‘Prima’, which needs cooking. Both are equally good.

I purely adapted the recipe, to suit my kids' taste, which is why I term it as milder and kids' friendly version of Char kway teow

I hope I can share my improvised versions too, in future.

 

Ingredients: 

Kang Kang Ready-made noodles
 

Ready-made kway teow Noodles (Kang Kang) - 1 pkt (or)

Prima Flat Rice Noodles – ½ pkt.

Bean sprouts - 1/2 Cup

Spring Onion - Few Sprigs

Fresh Red Chillies - 2

Shallots/small onion - 6

Garlic cloves - 4

Shredded Cabbage – 2 tbsp. (optional)

Prima Flat Rice noodles

Chicken Thigh - 1
(pre-cooked & cut into small strips)

Beaten Egg - 1

Sesame oil - 2 tbsp.
(Double Pagoda brand)

Cooking oil - 2 tbsp.

Dark Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp.
(Kikkoman brand)

Light Soya sauce - 1 tbsp.
(Po Po brand)

Salt - if necessary (there will be salt in Soy sauce)


Baba's less spicy red chilli powder - 1 tsp.

Lime - 1 to 2
(to squeeze over finally)Chopped Spring Onion - to garnish

 


Method:

When you use, ready-made Kway Teow Noodles, it’s better to blanch, to get rid of the

excess oil.  Just dip the noodles in boiling water for 2 to 3 seconds, drain and wash it under

the running water. Set aside.

 When you use uncooked flat rice noodles, cook in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, drain

and wash under running water.  Set aside.

 

Grind together shallots, fresh red chilli and garlic, with some water.  Alternatively you can

use ready-made ground fresh chilli paste(available in market) with finely chopped garlic and

shallots.

 

Fresh red chillies with shallots & garlic

 

 



 

 

 

Pour sesame oil & cooking oil, fry the ground paste and Chilli powder for 2 minutes, add in

cabbage, fry for a minute, now add chicken and stir-fry for few minutes. Pour the sauces

and mix well, toss in the bean sprouts, followed by noodles.  Mix gently, not to break the

noodles.  Pour the beaten egg and sauté for few seconds in high heat.  Switch off the stove,

squeeze one lime, if you like tangy taste. Garnish with Spring Onions.  Fresh, home-made

delicious ‘Char Kway Teow’ is ready to serve.

Milder and Kids' Friendly Char Kway Teow!

 

Fighting Plaque in Kids and Adults



“Vicco Vajradanti Herbal Tooth Powder”

 

 

Now-a-days kids get to eat more sweets, junk food and drink carbonated drinks, which are harmful for the teeth.  We can control the intake, but it’s difficult to avoid them totally. So I see a lot of children and adults alike have problems with their teeth. Dental hygiene should start at a very early age, so that we can have our teeth life-long.

Dental care includes gum care, which we tend to ignore these days, that’s where the problem begins.  I’ve a tried and tested solution which is very simple, handy and available almost everywhere. “Vicco Vajradanti Herbal Tooth Powder” – is the solution, if you try just once, you would definitely know the difference, the freshness of breath, tightened gums, plaque free teeth, will give you a great feeling.  With prolonged use, you can experience much more benefits. It's availble at "Mustafa Centre' and almost all the Indian provision shops.

It's very helpful, even for usual gum problems (kids & adults) like irritated, burning gums, swollen gums, just press the powder and leave it for five minutes before you rinse and massage gently. In a day or two, you can get relieved.

It’s basically an Ayurvedic tooth powder, which is made of herbs, thus harmless and gives very good protection for your gums.  Ayurveda , "life knowledge"; or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to the Indian subcontinent and a form of alternative medicine.

Ever since my childhood memories could go far, my father would insist on using herbal tooth powder, which was and is still available in the petty-shops in all the residential areas. That tooth powder is made of cinnamon powder and salt. In our native ‘Tamil’ language, we call it as ‘Karuvapattai palpodi’.

My siblings and I were so much resistant towards it, because we fancied all the white, foamy, sweet tooth pastes available in the market (which were much advertised).

Eventually we switched off to the fancy tooth paste and got so many dental problems due to poor dental hygiene. I ended up with root-canal treatment for my tooth, which was very tedious.  I didn’t want this to happen to my kids, so I would narrate all these anecdotes to them and cajole them into using “Vicco Vajradhanti”. To my relief, Viccco has come out with a paste form, which my kids have no objection using it and eventually enjoying all the benefits of the herbal product.  But still I’m an ardent fan of ‘Vicco Vajradanti Powder’. Time to time, I get them to use the powder as well.

 

Vicco Vajradanti Tooth Paste!

My Younger daughter fell face down and got her front tooth pushed back, I received a call and I had to rush to the school.  In the mean-time I called my Dentist and he asked me to come within half-an hour’s time.  Luckily the school was nearby, so I rushed her to dentist within time.  He examined, did an X-ray and confirmed that there’s no fracture. He applied temporary clip, to hold the tooth in position.  He also said, “Nothing much we can do at this moment, keep it clean and don’t bite hard items”.  I was really scared, because that’s her fresh adult tooth, if it falls; she has to lose her permanent front tooth at a very tender age. Then I explained to her that we have to take care of her gums very well and started using ‘Vicco Vajradanti powder’ twice a day(along with prayers). To our surprise, later when we went for a review, the Dentist told the tooth is intact and removed the clip.(still it's slightly lopsided, though..)

 

To use ‘Vajradanti powder’, we have to take the powder and firmly apply over the teeth and wait for min 3 minutes, before we rinse. Then you can use your tooth brush to get rid of left over powder from your teeth and finally, massage your gums gently.

 

For Vajradanti Tooth paste, just brush as usual, but finally massage your teeth gently.

 

Have a bright Smile!!

 

.

 

Chettinad style Chinna Urulaikizhangu Karuvaatuporiyal/Baby Potato, Garlic Roast

Chettinad style Chinna Urulaikizhangu Karuvaatuporiyal/Baby Potato, Garlic Roast

Karvadu means Dry fish, if we roast baby potatoes with skin, it would be very tasty like a non-veg fry. That’s probably why it got its name as ‘Karuvattuporiyal’. It will be a sure hit among everyone in the family, especially among ‘Potato lovers’..

Ingredients:

Chinna Urulaikizhangu/Baby Potatoes – 250g

Garlic Cloves (small) – 8

Sambhar Powder – 2 tsp. (or)

Red chilli Powder & Coriander Powder – 1 tsp. each

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp.

Salt – to taste

Ingredients

Tempering:

Mustard Seeds/Kadugu  – ½ tsp.

Black gram/ Urad dhal  – ½ tsp.

Fennel seeds/Sombu  – ¼ tsp.

Cumin Seeds  – ¼ tsp.

Asafoetida – ¼ tsp.

Oil – 3 tbsp.

Curry Leaves – few



Slightly pounded Garlic with skin on..



Masala coated baby Potatoes..

Method:

Slice baby potatoes and toss in the Sambhar powder/Chilli,coriander powder, along with salt and Turmeric powder. Sprinkle some water and mix well. Set aside for 10 minutes.  Take a Kadai/frying pan and pour 1 tbsp. oil and add the tempering ingredients. Let Asafoetida roast well, now add slightly pounded garlic and roast well.  Then stir in the baby potatoes and cover with a lid, cook in low heat for few minutes. Then take out the lid and roast well, from time to time add rest of the oil little by little. 

The flavour of garlic will add richness to the curry and it also helps to mitigate gastric problems created by Potato.

“Urulaikizhanu Karuvaatuporiyal”/Roasted baby potatoes are ready to serve.

Recipe for Pizza

 

Pizza is an all-time favourite among kids and teenagers. This slightly Indianised

version of Pizza will sure become a great hit among everyone in the family. Try and

enjoy, and… don’t forget to give your feedback.

 



Golden Crust with melted Cheese!

 

  

Mini Pan Pizza!

 

  

Medium Size Pizza! (8 inch)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Bread Flour – 1 Cup

Plain Flour/Maida – 1 Cup

(This will yield 1 large thin-crust Pizza (or) 2 pan Pizzas)

Olive Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp.

Or

Butter – 40g

(If it is salted butter, avoid salt)

Sugar – 2 1tsp.

Instant Yeast – 1 tsp.

(Preferably DHL Yeast)

Salt – ½ tsp.

Warm water – ½ to 1 Cup

Finely Chopped Garlic – 2 cloves

Finely chopped & deseeded Green Chilli – 1

Dried Parsley flakes – ½ tsp.

Italian herb mixture – 1 tsp.

(Or) Oregano – ¼ tsp.

 

Toppings:

 

 Veggie Mix

 

Thin Crust! (before rising)

 

 

 

With Pineapple Topping!

 

 

 

 

 Toppings for a Medium sized Pizza

 

  

 Mini Pizza (slightly over 6 inch)

 

 

More Cheese for Kids! 

 

 
Mozzarella Cheese - as required

Olive oil (to brush) - 1 tsp.

Prego Pasta Sauce – 1 tbsp.

Preferred Veggie mixture

(Options are endless – to name a few, Capsicum/Bell pepper/deseeded firm Tomato/Onion/Button Mushroom/pickled Olives/diced Pineapples, etc.)

Pineapple gives a lovely flavour and tangy taste to the Pizza.

 

Method:

In a large bowl, combine sifted bread flour and plain flour, along with salt, sugar, herb mixture, parsley flakes and instant yeast. (Sometimes, instead of parsley flakes I use to add freshly chopped Coriander leaves, which adds a lovely flavour) If using butter, rub in butter with the flour before adding water.  If using Olive Oil, pour olive oil and combine well before adding warm water. Make a well at the centre and pour warm water little by little and knead it into smooth dough.  Keep kneading until it becomes soft and elastic.  Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and leave it to rise.  It may take an hour or more for the dough to double-up in size.  After it doubles up, to let out the air, punch it down with your fist and knead again briefly.  Then roll it and spread in a Pizza pan, if making 2 pan Pizzas, divide the dough accordingly.  Cover it with a towel and leave it in a warm place for 2^nd rising.  It may take half-an hour or more according to the climate. 

 Preheat Oven to 180◦C (or) 380◦F

 Now, it’s the time for making the toppings.  Brush it with olive oil and spread the sauce.  Spread the cheese and veggies.  If you like, sauté veggies lightly with a pinch of salt before you spread.

If you prefer it to be spicy add a ¼ to ½ teaspoon of paprika/crushed dried chilli to the vegetables.

When the oven is ready, bake the pizza for 12 to 15 minutes, until it is done. (Generally, cooking time of the ovens differ, so check for the done-ness after 12 minutes)

Delicious home-made pizza is ready. Serve hot. 


 

 

Straight from the Oven!

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

The crust is little thick..

 

Thin Crust Pizza!

 

Tips Tips Tips…

 For more information on fermenting yeast and raising the dough, kindly refer to my ‘Orange Sugar Bun Recipe’, below is the link:

http://singaporechettinadrecipes.blogspot.sg/2013/03/orange-sweet-buns-recipe.html

For Sauce, I generally prefer, Prego 'Traditional', sauce, though I've tried other brands like, Dolmio, Raghu, etc.,

If you want to increase the quantity of Pizza, here’s a suggestion:

 Plain Flour – 2 and ½ Cups

Bread Flour – 2 and ½ Cups

Instant Yeast – 2 to 2&1/2 tsp.

Olive Oil – 4 to 5tbsp.

Sugar – 3 tsp.

Salt – 1 tsp.

Finely Chopped Garlic – 4 Cloves

Parsley Flakes – 1 tsp.

Italian herb mix/Oregano – ½ tsp.

Warm Water – 2 to 3 Cups (as Required)

The above quantiy can yield 3 large Thin Crust Pizzas (or) 5 Pan Pizzas.

Sizes: (approx)

 
Mini - around 6 inches

Medium -  8 to 10 inches

Large - 12 inches

 Flour :

If you don't have Bread flour, you can use just the plain flour.

On the other hand, if you want a whole-meal Pizza, you can use 1 Cup of whole wheat flour/Atta flour and 1 Cup plain flour.