Thengai paal rasam/ Coconut milk rasam

Got this recipe from a fellow blogger. Click here to see her blog. She sashiga and has a  tamil blog. we made a few additions to the recipe though/

Ingredients:

Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
tamarind- 1 tsp paste
turmeric powder
ground black pepper
cumin broken with pestle
coriander for garnishing.
salt
oil
for tempering:
mustard seeds
red chillies dried
curry leaves
garlic mashed

Method:

Same as the usual rasam recipe which you can find by clicking here. Add the cocnut milk in the end and turn off the heat.Hot rasam ready.

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Coconut cake from Patrick and Gina Neely's recipe

We frequently watch food network and other than Paula an Ina garten, the Neelys are on our list. We love to catch Sunny Anderson but seem to miss her show. This is a typical southern style coconut cake, been in the Neely's family for generations now. So we can safely say this is a pretty authentic recipe. We all loved the cake. Try it and see for yourself.

Ingredients:

• Nonstick baking spray, for pan
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• cream cheese lemon Glaze, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and dust with flour.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Once incorporated, add the extracts. Stir in the coconut milk and beat until combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake 5 minutes before turning it out onto a rack. Let cool completely on the rack.

Once the cake has cooled, ladle the glaze over the cake, and top with flaked coconut. Let glaze set before serving. Transfer the cake to a platter or serving dish and slice.

Cream cheese and lemon glaze:

3 tablespoon Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoon lemon juice

2tablespoon milk

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Let stand for 20 minutes to thicken.

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Sweet coconut filled kozhukattai/Modakam

We made kozhukkattai for ganesh chaturthi. They came out well.

Ingredients:

Dough:

Rice flour - 1 cup

Water - 1 and quarter cup

Oil - 1 teaspoon

Salt - less than quarter teaspoon

Note: For rice flour I used the regular rice flour available in the Indian grocery store. Authentic kozhukattai is made of pounded rice flour called Kai kuthal arisi maavu in tamil. It is prepared thus. Soak rice for one hour in water. Drain water through colander and dry by spreading over a towel under shade for one and half hours. Pound it to a fine powder. Sieve it. Allow to dry under shade for another one day. Keep in dry air-tight container and use whenever required.

Coconut filling:

Grated fresh coconut ( or shredded fresh coconut on the frozen secion in the Indian grocery store) - 1 cup

Grated white jaggery (light golden jaggery) - 1 cup (level)

Finely cut cashewnuts - 1 tablespoon

Ghee - 3 teaspoons

Cardamom powder - quarter teaspoon

Roasted gram - grind the gram (chutney dal or pottu kadalai) - 1 tablespoon

Method:

Filling:

Grate white portion of the fresh coconut using traditional grater or buy the readymade fresh shredded coconut in the freezer section. Thaw it for an hour before use.

Grind the grated coconut for even and fine grating.

Mix grated jaggery to this and heat in a heavy bottomed kadai strring in between till jaggery melts completely.

When the mixture becomes a little thick stir in the ground gram dal, ghee fried finely chopped cashewnuts and cardamom powder.

Remove from heat and allow it to cool down completely before stuffing it into the kozhukattai.

Do the filling first and get ready the dough. By the time the dough is done the filling will be cooled off.

Dough:

Heat water in a heavy bottomed kadai. Add salt and oil to the boiling water.

When the water starts bubbling, reduce the heat and pour the rice flour in the center as a heap. Insert a ladle and close with a lid leaving little gap.

Reduce the heat and cook for seven to ten minutes. Turn off the heat and stir the rice flour dough quickly without lumps.

Let the dough cool down a little. When it is still luke warm knead well to a smooth dough using little water to sprinkle if necessary. Apply oil the hands at the end while kneading.

Make small lemon sized balls out of the dough.

Making kozhukattai:

Using thumb and forefinger, flatten the edges first and gradually shape it like a cup carefully turning and pressing with equal pressure on all sides.

Keep little filling and fold it to seal well. Use the fork edge and press in the sides to form a design.

Arrange on a greased idli plate and steam cook for seven to ten minutes. Serve luke warm. Be careful while eating when it is still hot. The filling will be very very hot.

We recently saw modakam mould which gives momo shaped kozhukattais...We are planning to try them next time.

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