STEAK

Ø  1 to 1 1/2 pounds thin round steak, cut into serving-size portions

Ø  1/4 to 1/2 cup shortening, for frying

Ø  1 cup flour, divided

Ø  1/4 cup cornmeal

Ø  1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt

Ø  2 large eggs

Ø  1 large sweet onion (Vidalia, Texas Sweet, Walla Walla, etc.), chopped

Ø  4 tablespoons butter, divided

Ø  1/4 cup flour

Ø  1 1/2 to 2 cups milk

Ø  1 teaspoon Wyler's Beef & French Onion Seasoning or beef bouillon granules, or to taste

Ø  salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, cook onion in 2 tablespoons of butter until very soft and golden in color, about 30 minutes. Set aside.

Put 1/2 cup flour in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, put 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal and seasoned salt. In a third bowl, beat eggs.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt shortening. You should have about 1/4-inch of melted shortening.

Pound steaks to tenderize, then dredge each in flour, dip in egg mixture, then dredge in seasoned flour-cornmeal mixture. Place in hot oil and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until done. Remove steaks; keep warm. Pour off the shortening; add 2 tablespoons of butter and cooked onions. Stir until butter has melted; add flour. Stir flour and onion mixture until smooth; continue cooking for about 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk gradually, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until mixture has thickened. If gravy is too thick, add more milk. Sprinkle with about 1/4 to 1/2-teaspoon Shakers or bouillon, then taste before seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Munthiri Kathoo

Preparation Time : 1 hour
Cooking Time : 20-30 min
Serves / Makes : 4 persons

• Moong Dhal- 1/2 kg
• Jaggery- 1kg
• Coconut powder-2 cups (fried brown)
• Ellaici- 10-15
• Rice flour-1cup
• Kesar colour-1 pinch
• Oil for frying

1. Fry the dhal to golden brown.Set aside to cool
2.Make syrup with the jaggery
3.Powder the dhal and ellaici in the mixer grinder
4.Mix this with the coconut powder
5. Slowly add the cooled jaggery syrup and mix the flour simultaneously pouring the syrup
6.When the mix comes to the consistency of making balls stop adding syrup
7.Make small balls quickly before it hardens
8.For 1/2 kg you may get around 50 balls

Batter for frying
1.Mix the rice flour, Kesar colour adding water bring it to the consistency of dosa mix

Munthiri koothu
This means balls of grapes in bunch

1. Heat the oil for frying
2.Take 4-5 dhal balls dip in the rice batter and throw them clinging together into the oil.
3.When it turns golden brown take out from the oil and cool it.
4. Fry all the remaining balls like this

The jaggery syrup can be added accordingly no need to add all the syrup made of 1kg of jaggery

Mysore -south Asian Sweet

• 700 gm Sugar
• 1/4 ltr Kadala Mavu (Chick peas flour)
• 1 Coconut
• 70 gm Cashew nuts Kesari powder
• 7-8 Cardamom
• vegetable oil

(1) Shred the coconut.
Break the cashew nuts into small pieces and fry them in oil.
Powder the cardamom.

(2) Heat water in a vessel containing 1/4 ltr. of water and add the sugar to it.
After the sugary liquid is no longer thin, add the coconut shreds and heat it until it turns thick.

(3) Then add the kadala mavu gradually and keep stirring to ensure uniformity in the mixture.
After all the kadala mavu is added and after sufficient stirring, add the fried cashewnut pieces and kesari powder and oil/margarine and stir the mixture well.
After you are sufficiently satisfied that you get a 'mysore_pagu' odour :-) add the powdered cardamom and mix it thoroughly and stop heating.

(4) Pour the mixture onto a plate which could accomodate sufficient thickness.
Cut into rectangular pieces while hot.

NOTES This recipe is a translation from 'samaithu paar', a cookbook in Tamil.

Coconut Burfi South Asian Dessert

 

• 700 gm Sugar
• 2 Coconuts
• 35 gm Cashew nuts
• 7-8 Cardamom
• 70 gm vegetable oil

(1) Shred the coconut.
Break the cashew nuts into small pieces and fry them in oil.
Powder the cardamom.

(2) Heat water in a vessel containing 1/4 ltr. of water and add the sugar to it.
After the sugary liquid is no longer thin, add the coconut shreds and heat it until it turns thick.

(3) After sufficient stirring, add the fried cashewnut pieces andoil/margarine and stir the mixture well.
Add the powdered cardamom and mix it thoroughly and stop heating.

(4) Pour the mixture onto a plate which could accomodate sufficient thickness.
Cut into rectangular pieces while hot.

NOTES This recipe is a translation from 'samaithu paar', a cook-book in Tamil.

ORANGE SKIN PACHADI RAITA

 

Preparation Time : 15 mts
Cooking Time : 20 mts
Serves / Makes : 3-4

• Orange skin cut into small pieces – 1 cup
• Tamarind – a small lemon size
• Tomatoes – 2 (medium size)
• Jaggery powdered – ½ cup
• Red Chilli Powder – 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida Powder – ¼ teaspoon
• Oil – 1 tablespoon
• Mustard – ½ teaspoon
• Jeera – 1 teaspoon
• Fenugreek – ½ teaspoon
• Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste
  

Soak tamarind in water and squeeze out thick juice of about one cup.

Cut the tomatoes into big pieces and grind it to a fine puree.

Put the orange skin pieces in a vessel and add half cup water and cook on medium flame till the skin is soft. Add tamarind juice and tomato puree, red chilli powder, salt and stir well. Allow to boil.

In a kadai put the oil and when it is hot add mustard. When it pops up add jeera, fenugreek and asafoetida powder and fry. Add the cooked orange skin-tamarind gravy to it and stir well. Allow to cook till it is semi liquid. Finally add jaggery powder and mix well. Let it cook for two to three minutes on low flame. Then remove.

Use only fresh orange skin. The loose variety, that means, you can easily peel the skin from orange, and not the hard variety. Normally it is called in South India as “Kamala Orange”.

When cutting the skin, remove the white skin under the orange one as much as possible to reduce bitterness. You can increase or decrease the red chilli powder according to your taste.

To save time, you can use tamarind paste and readymade tomato puree.

Note: You can also prepare above pachadi using bittergourd, instead of Orange skin.

Kachumber Salad Pakistani

• 1 medium sized onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 cucumbers peeled and seeded
• 3tablespoons lemon juice
• salt
• black pepper

Finally chop all vegetables.
Mix all ingredients.
Serve chilled with any meal.
a healthy salad with all type of meals.

BEETROOT SALAD

Ingredients:

1 medium sized beetroot
4 tbsp mayonnaise
5-6 walnuts

Method:

Boil beetroot, peel and grate.
Mix well with mayonnaise.
Garnish with walnuts
Ready to serve cold

 My version Salad

• Place Beetroots in pot and cover with water
• Place lid on pot and bring to a boil
• Set flame to "low" and cook for about 40 minutes
• You know it's ready when you prod it with a fork and the fork goes in easily and the peel comes off by hand
• Pour off water and let the beetroot cool down enough to handle
• Peel the Beetroots. (You can use a knife but it is easiest

Carrot Moong Dhal Salad

This preparation requires only 5 minutes and a tasty salad in south Indian home recipes

• carrot 150gms
• cucumber small 1
• lemon 1
• salt to taste
• moong dhal 2tbs
• oil, mustard seed 1tsp and orid dhal for seasoning

1. Soak the moong dhal for some time say 10 to 15 minutes

2. Grate carrot, chop cucumber into very tiny pieces and moong dhal

3. Add lemon juice and season it with mustard seeds and arid dhal.

4. Add salt only when you serve otherwise the salad will become watery.