Welcoming 2013

Wishing you all a very 
propsperous and  a

Apartment Kolam

In this post,  I  intend to add kolams which I draw daily at the entrance of my home.  I got kadappa stone laid at the entrance particularly to draw kolam daily.  (earlier it was mosaic tile).  After wiping the floor at the entrance in the morning, I draw these kolams with wet chalk.  Drawing  either with kola mavu or arisi mavu did not allow the kolam to stay there for long.  (Due to the movement of children or the person cleaning the staircases).  Hence wet chalk was chosen, It stays atleast till the evening.

Bajji

Bajji is everyone's favourite snack.  It is the easiest and the fastest one to make.  Very recently I made Plantain bajji, potato bajji and onion bajji.

The battar should be of the consistency of idli batter

 Ingredients for batter:

Gram flour - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
Idli batter - 3 table spoons ( If available)
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
Salt - to taste

Mix all the ingredients together adding water to the consistency of idli batter.

slices should be of 3 mm thickness

knife is the best to cut 

Cut and slice   onions and potatoes round

                              and 

the Plantains lengthwise....
                 

Dip the vegetable one by one in the batter and drop them in the hot oil.  Allow to cook.  When bajjis are light brown in colour they are cooked.  Remove from oil.  Spread them on a paper napkin.

Bajjis getting ready...

Plantain bajji

Onion and potato bajji

Serve bajjis with coconut chutney, green chilly sauce, red chilly sauce or any other dip.........

KARTHIGAI DEEPAM

Karthigai Deepam day is special to me because of deepam, kolam, pori, adai  and of course the madisar pudaivai we wear.

Hear are few receipes and photographs..........

To Make Karthigai Pori:

Jaggary and pori should be in the ratio of 2 : 8.  (that is, if  8  cups of pori is taken 2 cups of jaggery is required).  While preparing Jaggary pak, drop a small amount of pak in half cup of water and try to make a ball out of it.  When you can make a ball out of the pak, it is done.  Immediately mix 2 tsp of dried ginger powder, handful of coconut pieces, elaichi powder.  Pour the pak on the pori.  Mix well with a long handled laddle.  Once it is little cooled, make small balls (size of a potato).  Do neivedyam and relish........... 

To make Karthigai Adai: 

Rice  - 2 cups

Whole udad - 3/4 cup

Tur dal - 1/2 cup

Channa dal - 1/2 cup 

Cumin seeds - 2 tsp

Pepper -  2 tsp

Coconut pieces - ! handful (cut into minute pieces)* 

First soak whole udad for about 6 hours.  Soak rice and other dals for about 3 hours.  Wash rice and dals.  All everything together and grind coarsly adding cummin seeds and pepper.  Add salt.  Prepare adai as how we prepare dosai.  (It is called adai as this is little thicker than dosai).  Enjoy with a blob of butter.  Anything with a sweet & sour taste (Like puli kaichal, vatral kozhumbu) will taste good.

Karthi Adai has specks of black in it due to the use of whole black udad dal.  If you want your adai to look (as well as taste) deliciously brown like mine, use broken Whole udad instead of whole black udad.

*don't use grated coconut, it won't give crunchy texture.

Photographs of few kolams............   with deepam it looks great

DIWALI RANGOLI

This is how "Happy Diwali:" rangoli has taken shape:

Another Diwali rangoli

SIMPLE PADI KOLAM

When we are short of time,  these type of simple or rather the simplest padi kolam designs will help.  Of course, nothing new just the same old simple basic design.

GOLU

Thought of sharing few photos of our golu in front of which I draw kolams daily.  If the golu is not there where from will I get the idea and creativity?!?!?!?!

Navratri and Kolam

If it is Navratri, along with dolls, decorations, thamboolam, silk saree ,........ kolam also comes to mind.  Hence here are few..............