Orange Popsicles....

Hi,
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend.I did and am still in the hang over of it...
Nothing special in my kitchen these days...So updating it with something that is real easy and quick...but a real aid for summer..

Oranges...Love the tangy sweet taste and the aroma it gives when peeled..I am sure most of you like it..Have you ever tried eating oranges with pepper and salt over it...if not try it..you will fall in love with it..Here is it..

Ok..What about pops...Everyone will be having  childhood memories about pops, how you run with a coin to the man on the cycle who rings the bell when near your house, how you tried to make a rasna/ milk pop at home...How you and ur sister/brother would wait for the cyclewala at the balcony during the hot sun to run to get a pop..How you would cry to ur mom to get them regularly from the cyclewala....I did all theseI still hold these memories and still smile alone thinking about them and sure will do it throughout my life...How hectic and busy it may be..You guys do it...right?
Here are some orange pops you can lick or bite(my son does it) into and ya refresh your childhood memories too..

Method Of Preparation:
1. Get the juice from the orange using a juicer.Add sugar and water, mix and pour to a Popsicle mould.Freeze it for 2 hours and then insert sticks and continue freezing for atleast four hours or overnight.

Notes:
Add more sugar if needed to the juice.

Saffron Rice

Method of Preparation:
1. Soak rice in water for half an hour.Drain and keep aside.
2. Crush the saffron strands and soak it in milk. Soak the dried cranberries in warm water for 30 mins so that it softens.
3. Meantime heat oil in pressure cooker and add the cinnamon stick and cardamon seeds(crushed).
4. After few seconds add the onion, garlic and fry till it turns light brown.
5. Add the pepper powder and turmeric to this and mix well.After few seconds add the saffron mixture to it and mix well.
6. Then add the drained rice and fry it in the mixture for 2 to 3 mins.See that rice doesnt stick at the bottom.Keep stirring.
7. Add the water along with salt and mix well.Close the lid of pressure cooker without weight and cook on high till heavy pressure starts coming out from it.
8. Then reduce the heat to low and place the pressure cooker weight and cook for 5 to 10 mins.See that it doesnt whistle.
9. Turn off the heat and once pressure goes open the lid and fluff the rice with fork.
10.Add the cranberries and mix well.
11.Serve with side of your choice.I made cauliflower fry to go with it..

Notes:
1. You can add the cranberries with the turmeric powder while frying and cook it with rice. In that case do not soak it in water.
2. Cranberries can be replaced with raisins too and can also be left out, even then rice tastes yum.

Chakka varatti/Jackfruit preserve

"Chakka" in Malayalam means Jackfruit and "varatti" means to cook by continuously stirring until the water in it goes.Chakka varatti is a  traditional recipe in kerala. As jackfruit is a seasonal fruit and it grows in abundance in kerala people store them for future use by preparing this varatti. It has a long shelf life if prepared properly. This is prepared in a heavy bottomed vessel known as Uruli and it requires lot of muscles to stir...;)...
No No...I dint make it...Infact I got it without any pain...Mom made it for me and had packed it too...My hubby and airport employees helped me to get it to US..I enjoyed eating spoon full of these(still continuing) and made some recipes with it...
So here is the recipe from Amma...

Method of Preparation:
1. Clean and deseed the jackfruit(Varikkyachakka),Cut to pieces and pressure cook it for 2 whistle.(Add 1/2 cup water if u feel that the fruit has less water,like it has thin flesh).Open once pressure goes.
2. If water is there then dry it by heating with the cooker lid open.
3. Once cooled grind it to smooth paste in mixer.
4. Heat jaggery along with 1/2 cup water to form syrup.Strain the syrup for impurities and keep aside.
5. Now heat a thick bottemed vessel(usually uruli, but anything wud do) and add 2 tbsp ghee, add the jackfruit paste to it along with the jaggery syrup and cook on medium heat , stirring continuously.Keep on adding ghee in between see that varatti doesn't stick to the bottom of vessel.
6. Once it forms thick try aplying thin layer of the varatti at the bottom of uruli with laddle.Continue this along with stirring.See that the varatti doesn't stick at the bottom.Once it starts to come from the edges stop cooking.
7. Cool and preserve in bharani/glass jar.

Notes:
1. If you feel that you need more sweetness after completing the cooking, just add the jaggery syrup/cubes along with ghee(Step 5 & 6).
2. Whole cooking process to make chakka varatti can be done in 2 or 3 days.
3. 500 gms of ghee is completely needed for above process.Add more if needed.
4. Thick bottomed vessel should be used to make it.
5. The end product will be thick and in rollable  form.

Linking this to Serve it series-Serve it -Preserved @ Krithi's Kitchen and Denny's Space

Unni appam

Got some chakkavaratti/Jack fruit preserve from home.So tried these unni appams with it...They were soft and delicious...

Method of Preparation:
1. Melt the jaggery with little water(1/4 to1/2 cup).Let cool
2. Fry the cumin and coconut in ghee and keep aside.
3. Add the chakkavaratti to rice flour along with cooled jaggery syrup and fried coconut, cumin.
4. Mix with required amount of water such that the batter should be thick almost like idli batter or little less.
5. Heat the appam pan(kaarolu), Pour oil(as needed to deep fry) in to it.once hot, pour the batter in to it and wait till it turns golden brown.NowTurn it with a stick and cook the other side.
6. Remove it on a kitchen tissue.Continue the process.
7. Enjoy it warm or at normal temperature.These remain good for more than a week.

To make Rice flour:
1. Soak 1 cup of raw rice in water for 3 to 4 hrs. Drain and spread on a sheet of paper/cloth.
2. When it is partially dry,grind it to a not too smooth, but little grainy powder.Use this to make appams.

Notes:
1. Usually rice flour is not fried to make unni appams.
2. Add jaggery as needed.
3. Use oil as needed to deep fry
Sending this to The Kerala Kitchen hosted here

Passion Fruit Chiller

As a kid passion fruit was something that I loved to have with sugar sprinkled on it...Sourness of it would make the teeth tingle but  2 to 3 ripe fruit from the tree would easily go into my tummy..hey salt with pinch of chilli powder also goes well...;)
Here I have made a quick drink...

Passion Fruit-5 nos
Ginger-small piece(cut to thin strips)
Mint-3 to 4 leaves
Water-1 cup
Sugar-1 tbsp

1. Remove the pulp from passion fruit and pulse it to get the juice.See that u don't pulse it hard and crush the seeds.Else you can use a strainer and spoon to extract juice by pressing the pulp with spoon in the strainer.Add little water and do this 2 or 3 times.
2. Add water and mix the juice with sugar.
3. Now in a bowl mix the ginger and mint leaves.Crush it slightly with a spoon and mix with the juice.
4. Chill it and serve...

Notes:
1. Add sugar and water as needed.
2. Back at home mom makes it just with sugar and passion fruit juice with little water.

Pomegranate Panna cotta

Panna Cotta...Need I say anything about this silky smooth dessert...Spoon full of creaminess..As everyone knows panna cotta comes from Italy and  means cooked cream...Usually the agent used for setting it is Gelatin...But I like to stay away from it....but when I saw this here with agar agar tried it, tested it, tasted it and fell in love with it......Don't believe me...Try it...:)

Method of Preparation:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to simmer, stir it in between.Do not boil it.
Let cool for 5 min
2. Rinse four  bowls under cold water,do not dry and distribute the panna cotta mixture evenly among them.
3. Keep refrigerated until firm, about 3 hrs or overnight.

Pomegranate Sauce:
1. Blend the pomegranate seeds to extract juice or use ready made pom juice.
2. Heat the pom juice with sugar on low flame.
3. Add the corn starch mixed with water to thicken the pom juice.
4. Once little thick turn off the heat and allow to cool.
5. Now pour/drizzle this on top of the panna cotta and serve.

Notes:
1. I have used some pom seeds and few cashew bits on top of sauce. Add according to your wish..It just adds to the taste..