MONACO BISCUIT SNACK

INGREDIENTS

Monaco biscuit packet – 1

FOR THE FIRST TOPPING

Finely chopped onions – 2 tbsp

Finely chopped capsicum – 2 tbsp

Finely chopped tomatoes – 1 1/2 tsp [without seeds]

Finely chopped coriander leaves – 1/2 tsp

Chat masala – 3/4 tsp

Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Tomato ketchup for spreading

For the second topping

Britannia cheese spread cream cheese – 2 to 3 tbsp

Finely chopped coriander leaves – 1/2 tsp

Finely chopped onions – 1 tsp

Hot garlic sauce- 1 tsp

Finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

METHOD

For the frist topping

1. Take a bowl and add all the ingredients. Mix well and keep it aside. Check out the seasonings.
2. Just before serving, place monaco biscuits on a serving plate. Spread tomato ketchup evenly on monaco biscuit .
3. Top with 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of topping and add some ketchup on it . Serve immediately.

SECOND TOPPING

1. Take a bowl. Mix cheese spread, chopped coriander leaves, chopped onions and hot garlic sauce.
2. Top the biscuits with the prepared mix. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

NOTE

These toppings can be enjoyed on any biscuit of your choice.

KATTU PONGAL [ DHANURMASAM PRASADAM]

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INGREDIENTS

Rice – 1/2 cup

Moong dal – 1 1/2 tbsp

Water – 2 cup

Asafoetida

Salt – 1/2 tsp

TALIMPU

Cow ghee – 3 tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1/2 seeds

Black pepper – 1/2 tsp coarsely powdered

Dhanur masam is considered the month of bhakthi. Offering of pongal as naivedya is the most sacred offer for Lord Vishnu. Basil is one more thing that is more important and auspicious to offer to god.

METHOD

1. Heat a pan and add moong dal. Dry roast it till they are slightly golden brown colour.
2. Cool it . Wash rice and dal twice and drain it .
3. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and coarsely grounded black pepper. Fry on low flame till the pepper starts to burst.
4. Then add asafoetida, curry leaves and fry for 10 seconds.
5. Add washed moong dal and rice. Mix well. Add salt and 2 cups of water. Pressure cook on high flame till the first whistle .
6. Then cook on low flame for 6 to 7 minutes. Switch off the flame.
7. Allow the pressure to release on its own and then open the cooker.
8. Mix well and offer as naivedyam to god.

UGADI PACHADI

INGREDIENTS:

Tamarind – 100 grams makes one cup of thick paste

Water – 1 1/4 cup

Jaggery – 2 1/2 cups

Finely chopped sugarcane – 2 tbsp

Finely chopped coconut – 2 tbsp

Finely chopped banana – 1/2 cup

Finely chopped mango – 1 tbsp

Neem leaves – 1/2 tbsp

Salt, red chilli powder, black pepper powder – 1 pinch each

Each home has their own way of preparing ugadi pachadi.

METHOD:

• Soak the tamarind in 1 1/2 cups of water for 1-2 hours and extract the pulp.
• Grate the jaggery or you can powder it in a mixer.
• Separate the neem flowers from the springs. Then gently rub the neem flowers between your two palms to separate the petals and put them in a plate. Use only petals for this process.
• Keep finely chopped coconut, finely chopped bananas, finely chopped sugarcane and finely chopped peeled mangoes to a side.
• Take a wide bowl. Add tamarind extract and 2 1/2 cups of grated jaggery. Mix well using your hand till the jaggery melts.
• Then add the finely chopped ingredients mentioned in step four and mix well.
• Lastly add neem petals, salt, red chilli powder, black pepper powder. Mix well.
• Offer ugadi pachadi as naivedyam (offerings to god during the festival of ugadi).

SUGGESTIONS:

Ugadi pachadi should be like a sauce. Do not taste it if you intend to offer it to god. The recipe for ugadi pachadi may vary according to family beliefs and customs. All the ingredients in this pachadi recipe can be adjusted to suite your taste. Ugadhi pachadi goes well with curd rice.

BLACK PEPPER RASAM

Ingredients

Water – 3 cups

Tamarind – lemon size

Coriander seeds – 1 1/2 tbsp

Black pepper – 1 1/2 tbsp

Onion chopped – 2 tbsp

Green chilles – 1 chopped

Ginger – 1 inch piece , peeled and chopped

Turemeric – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – few

Sugar -1/ 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Talimpu

Chopped onoins – 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds -1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – few

Oil – 2 tbsp

Method

Dry roast coriander seeds and black pepper on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes, after that coarsely ground it in grinder.Crush onions , green chilli,ginger in motor pestle and keep it aside.

Bring to boil 3 cups of water in a pan ,add turemeric, salt, tamarind, onion ,ginger,green chilli paste,curry leaves and boil for 5 minutes ,add coriander , pepper powder and sugar and boil for another 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan add talimpu ingredients in order . After this when mustard seeds starts spluttering add curry leaves fry for 1 minute and add  boiled rasam to this . After the rasam starts boiling, leave it like that for 2-3 min and then turn off the flame.

Serve hot.

SUGGESTIONS – Very favourable on rainy days and really good for people with severe cold.