Wednesday, September 08, 2010

PAL KOZHUKATTAI (DUMPLINGS IN MILK) WITH A BENGALI INFLUENCE FOR GANESHA CHATURTHI

PALKOZHUKATTAI - (DUMPLINGS IN MILK) WITH A BENGALI INFLUENCE FOR GANESHA CHATURTHI
This year my daughter, Dibs, has joined me to celebrate all the festivals at our place after so many years. She is a great cook and enjoys trying out recipes and we discuss a lot before publishing a new post.

Ganesha Chaturthi is almost round the corner, and I intended to prepare the traditional Pal Kozhukattai as an offering to the Lord. My daughter had mentioned to me about a Bengali sweet called Dudh Puli Pithe, which reminded me very much of Pal Kozhukattai. Today I prepared some traditional Pal Kozhukattais, and also some with a Bengali touch for a dry run, and it turned out to be very delicious.
Traditional Pal kozukattais are simple cooked rice flour beads, in milk. With the ingredients below, I made both varieties!

INGREDIENTS
Rice flour - 1 glass ( Holds 250 ml of liquid)
Salt - 1 pinch
Oil - 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 2 cups
Powdered jaggery - 2 cups
Milk - 1 litre
Sugar - 6 tbsps
Raisins - a few
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch (optional)

METHOD
TO MAKE POORNAM - SWEET FILLING


1. Melt jaggery in a cup of warm water and filter it.
2. Mix the coconut and jaggery and cook in a thick bottomed vessel, till it becomes a lump and starts leaving the sides of the thick vessel.
3. A pinch of cardamom powder can be added to the above 'Poornam' if desired. I like to retain the authentic flavour of coconut and jaggery without the addition of any flavouring.
TO MAKE THE KOZHUKATTAI (DUMPLING) DOUGH

4. Boil 1 glass of water with a pinch of salt and a tsp of oil in a heavy vessel.
5. Slowly add rice flour to the boiling water, stirring all the time.
6. Cook the rice flour till all water is absorbed; switch off flame and cover with a lid.

TO PREPARE THE MILK
7. Boil milk till it reduces to 3/4th the original volume.
8. Make a paste with 1 tbsp rice flour and water and stir into the milk and boil for few more minutes.This will prevent the milk from curdling while adding sugar.
9. Add sugar, cook for few more minutes; add cardamom powder and switch off flame.

MAKING THE KOZHUKATTAIS (DUMPLINGS)
10. Knead the cooked rice flour into a smooth dough.
11. Take out a small portion and roll into very small bead sized balls and keep aside.This is for the traditional pal kozhukattais.
12. From the main portion, pinch out a plum size of dough, knead once again and make into a cup, coating yours fingers with oil so that the dough does not stick to your fingers.
13. Place a teaspoon of 'poornam' in the dough cup and gather the edges together sealing the poornam inside the shell.

14. Flaten and press the gathered point and shape the kozhukattais into poornam filled flat balls. For the given measure you can get a cup of beads, and 21 poornam filled kozhukattais can be prepared.
15. Steam the traditional kozhukattais as well as the poornam filed kozhukattais in the pressure cooker for ten minutes, and allow them to cool down.

TRADITIONAL PAL KOZHUKATTAI


1. Remove one cup of the prepared milk in another vessel and bring to a boil.
2. Gently add steamed dough beads and raisins to the milk and boil for a few more minutes.
I just added one tablespoon of the left over 'poornam' to the milk for this preparation, which enriched the flavour.

PAL KOZHUKATTAI WITH THE BENGALI INFLUENCE
 1. Bring the prepared milk to a boil and reduce flame.
2. Gently add the steamed Poorna Kozhukattais to the milk and simmer for two minutes.
Offer both the sweet dishes to Lord Ganesha and indulge in the prasadam!

Dates Peda (No Sugar)

Got Inspired by Ayeesha's Fig Pedas,i tried these No Sugar Dates Peda. Came out good.

Ingredients
3 tbsp Crumbled Paneer/Cottage Cheese
5 dates
1/4 cup Low-Fat Milk
Cinnamon a pinch

Method
Remove Date Seeds, Soak them in milk for 30minutes. Grind it to a fine paste along with Crumbled Paneer.
Take this Mixture in a Microwave Safe Bowl and Cook @ high for 5 minutes, Stir in-between. Sprinkle cinnamon while stirring the second time.

Take it out, let it cool for a minute or two, gather the dough and make small pedas out of it.
Delicious pedas are ready in a minute. Makes 7-8 Pedas. No Sugar added, the dates take care of the sweetness.

An Healthy Delicious Snack for kids. While serving for kids, drizzle some Choco syrup and serve, like i did!!!! :)
Definitely your kid will enjoy as mine did!!!! :)

Sending this Healthy Treats to Festive Food - Rakhi @ Indian Khana, Srivalli's Colouring your Kids Delight - Finger Food, Letz Relish - Paneer @ Tasty Appetite, MEC-Fruits Hosted by Niveditha, Event by Srivalli 
And also to 'ONLY' Low Oil/Low Calorie Event hosted by Priya Mitharwal, Eveny by Pari of Foodelicious


Some Awards
Vidhya of Appetizing Recipes Shared this Award with me Thanks Vidhya!!!!

And was Lucky to be the Winner of Iftar Moments, @ Taste of Pearl City. Thank you Ayeesha!!!!

Thanks to all my Blogger Buddies whose support and encouragement keeps me going :)




Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Heating and Cooling System Health Check



A Little Preventive Medicine for Your Heating and Air Conditioning System Can Go a Long Way!

As summer is coming to an end and winter's cold weather is just around the corner, you'll definitely want to make sure your home’s heating system is functioning properly for the winter ahead...and that your air conditioner has successfully survived the long, hot summer without any damage or problems. The following checklist can help you decide if you need to make some improvements, replace equipment, or consult a professional about more extensive repairs.

If your heater, heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it with an Energy Star rated system. When installed by an expert, these units will improve your home’s energy efficiency and can help you save up to 20% on your utility bills.

If your furnace or boiler is more than 15 years old, you may want to research Energy Star certified units. These newer systems are almost 15% more energy efficient than older furnaces, while an Energy Star boiler is about 5% more efficient than an older model.

If you’ve noticed a dramatic increase in the number of times you have to call in a professional to repair your heating and cooling system, or your utility bills keep rising no matter what you try to do to save energy, your current system is not working as efficiently as it should and it may be time to replace your unit.

If you notice that certain rooms in your house are always too hot or too cold, your heating or cooling system may be malfunctioning or your ductwork or insulation could need some attention.

If you spend the better part of the day away from home and you don’t have a programmable thermostat, you could be wasting energy—and money. An Energy Star certified programmable thermostat lets you control the temperature of your home when you’re not there, saving energy and money.

If you notice condensation on windows and sills or the humidity in your home is never quite right, your system could need work and an overhaul. Leaky ducts can also make your home too humid in summer and overly dry in winter.

If you find it nearly impossible to keep up with the dust inside your home, it could mean that your ductwork is leaking. Improperly sealed ducts pull air and dust particles from attics, basements and crawl spaces, circulating them throughout your home.

If your heating or cooling system makes a lot of noise, your ducts could be too small or one of the key components of your system could be malfunctioning.

Use the Home Energy Yardstick found on the EPA's Energy Star website to determine your home’s energy health. To complete the survey, you’ll need to gather your utility bills from the last 12 months or request a 12-month summary of charges from your energy provider, information about your home’s energy sources—natural gas, oil, electricity, propane, kerosene—and the total square footage of your home. Simply enter this information in the right places and let the yardstick calculate your home’s energy efficiency rating. If you score lower than five, your home is using more energy than average and you are likely paying more than you have to on your utility bills.

Finally, it's always a great idea to give your heating and air conditioning system a tune-up and cleaning before the start of the summer or winter season. A tune-up will make sure that your heater or air conditioner starts the season in optimal working condition and will operate at peak energy-efficiency. It will also extend the life of your heating and air conditioning system and is your best assurance that your heater or air conditioner won't break down at an inopportune time -- like right in the middle of a heatwave or cold snap!



Related Heating & Air Conditioning Information from Horizon Services...
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