Microwaved Scones & Mango Jam

Ever since I saw microwaved scones at Aparna's blog, I wanted to try it. But somehow, it did not happen. When EC announced the theme for WBB#21, I knew what I was going to make.

Ingredients:

whole wheat flour - 2 cups

butter(cold) - 3/4 cup

sugar- 1/4 cup

raisins - 3/4 cup

milk - 5 tblspn

baking powder - 4 tspn

a pinch of salt (not needed if using salted butter)

Method

Mix wheat flour,baking powder and salt together. Rub the butter into this mixture till it resembles bread crumbs.

Care to be taken that the butter doesn't melt when rub it into the floor.To use cold butter is very important.

Add sugar and raisins. Aparna has used brown sugar.

Stir in the milk and make a soft dough.
Slightly flour your kitchen counter and place the dough on it. Shape it into a square of 1 inch thickness. Cut into 9 squares.

Place on a tissue paper in the microwave turntable and cook at 100% power for 3 minutes. Do the toothpick test to ensure it is cooked inside. If not cooked, keep for another 1 minute.

Leave it in the MW for 3 more minutes.

Serve warm with your favorite jam or fresh cream for a filling breakfast.

Here is my recipe for mango jam which can be done in few minutes.

Mango Jam in Microwave

Mango pulp - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Take equal quantities of fruit pulp and sugar. Its better not to increase the sugar, since it will mask the flavor of the fruit.

To take mango pulp, peel and cut the mangoes into bite sized cubes. Pulse in the mixer grinder or use a blender to get fine pulp.
Take a MW safe bowl, add the pulp and sugar.Cook for 5 minutes at 100% power. Stir once in between. It will have a nice glazing texture.
Adjust the timings according to your oven type and quantity used. Store in an airtight bottle. Enjoy with your warm scones.

I am sending this to EasyCrafts who is hosting WBB for this month, which is the brain child of Nanditha of Saffrontrail

Ghee Rice for MBP

When Pavani of Cook's Hideout, who is the guest host for MBP April edition, announced One Pot Wonders, I knew where to look for ideas. With Meeta's MM- One dish dinners roundup at hand, didn't have to do much of patrolling. It was then I found Seena's post on Ghee Rice-Thalassery style. It was almost the same method I follow , except that it uses whole spices. I liked it for its instant kind.
Here is the recipe for quick ghee rice

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Ghee - 3 tblspn
Onion - 1
Fennel seeds -1/4 tspn
Cardamom - 2 nos
Cloves -2
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Water - 3 cups
Cashew and raisins for garnish

Soak rice for half an hour. Strain and keep it aside.
Boil 3 cups of water with required salt.
Heat ghee in a kadai. Roast cashew and raisins. Drain them and keep it aside for garnish.
Add spices, chopped onion to the same kadai.

Saute till onions are translucent.

Add rice and roast till it slightly changes it color.

Add the hot salt water, cook till water is absorbed completely.

Cover and cook with occassional stirring.

Leave it covered for half an hour after it is fully done.

Serve with any spicy curry or simple onion raitha.

Vethakozhambu - Palakkad Iyer recipe

Vathakozhambu is a famous dish of Tamilnadu and it is cooked by Iyers of Kerala too. But when it comes to Kerala, it is cooked in a slightly different way from what is followed in TN. Here is the version cooked at most of Palakkad Iyer homes.

Ingredients

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - lemon sized

Red chilly powder - 1 tspn

Hing - 1/4 tspn

Turmeric - 1/4 tspn

Method

Wash and pressure cook tuvar dal with water. Add little turmeric and 1/2 tspn of oil. Adding oil helps cook dal mushy.
Soak tamarind in a cup of warm water for 10 minutes.

Extract the tamartind juice. Add 1/4 tspn turmeric,1 tspn of red chilly powder, 1/4 tpn of hing and salt.

Let it simmer till the gravy thickens.

Mash the cooked dal and add half cup of water.

Stir in the cooked dal and water to the thickening gravy.

Bring to a boil.

Seasoning

In a pan, add a tablespoon of gingely oil, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add chundakka vathal. When chundakkai is fried, pour the seasonings over the cooked gravy and garnish with curry leaves.

Serve with hot rice with a teaspoon of homemade ghee and roasted papad. Its simply divine. Mezhukkuparatti ( Stir fried vegetable like raw banana and yam) is also an excellent side for vethakozhambu. Another popular side for this is paruppu thogayal.

Paruppu Thogayal

Ingredients

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup

Grated coconut - less than 1/2 cup

Red chilly - 1

salt as required.

Since Vathakuzhambu is spicy, this thogayal uses only one red chilly for flavor only.

Dry roast tuvar dal till it turn light brown. Roast the red chilly too.

Grind all the ingredients to a coarse paste using less water.

Yummy parippu thogyal is ready.

(I forgot to take the photo of thogayal. Shall update next time when I prepare it)

Chundakkai Vathal