Blueberry Muffins

These are the best blueberry muffins, easy to make and very delicious. Adapted from NYT Cooking's The famous Jordan Marsh Blueberry muffins, legendary in the Boston area until the mid 1990s. These muffins are tender, very moist, cake-like and loaded with blueberries. 

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour - 2 cups
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Baking powder - 2 tsp
• Butter - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Lemon zest - 1 tbsp
• Eggs- 2
• Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Blueberries - 2 cups
• Sugar - 2 tsp, to sprinkle on top

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a 12 cup standard muffin pan with cupcake liners and keep aside.
3. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and keep aside.
4. Cream the butter and sugar until light.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add vanilla and lemon zest and beat well.
7. Crush 1/2 cup blueberries with a fork and mix into the creamed mixture.
8. Add the flour mixture into the batter alternatively with the milk.
9. Fold in the remaining whole berries.
10. Fill the muffin pan with batter to the tops of the paper liners.
11. Sprinkle the sugar on the top of each muffin.
12. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out with crumbs, not wet batter.
13. Remove muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and rest them for another 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

- You can make these with fresh or frozen blueberries. Do not thaw the blueberries if you use frozen.
- Mashing the berries produces a very moist muffin.
- Sprinkle the whole blueberries with flour before adding them to the batter.

- The batter should be thick like cookie dough and not runny.

- Store them at room temperature for 2-3 days.

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Instant Rava Kara Paniyaram

Rava kara paniyaram is a simple delicious South Indian recipe which can be served as a breakfast or evening snack. They are crispy outside and soft inside and tastes great with coconut chutney.

Ingredients

• Rava/Semolina - 1 cup
• Curd - 1/2 cup
• Grated carrot - 1/2 cup
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
• Baking soda - a pinch
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - to cook paniyaram

     For the seasoning

• Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Chana dal - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Ginger - 1 inch, grated
• Green chilli - 1, finely chopped
• Onion - 1, medium sized, finely chopped

Method

1. In a bowl mix rava, curd and salt together with little water to form thick batter. Keep aside for 1 hour.
2. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. When the mustard seeds start to splutter add chana dal and urad dal. Fry till they turn light brown.
4. Add torn curry leaves, grated ginger, green chilli and onion. Saute well until onion turns transparent.
5. Turn off the stove and add this to the rava batter.
6. Add grated carrot, baking soda and chopped coriander leaves to the batter and mix well. 
7. Heat paniyaram pan and add few drops of oil inside the holes.
8. Fill the holes with the batter.
9. Cook covered in low flame. When the sides start to leave, flip it over to the other side.
10. Cook in low flame until it turns golden brown. Repeat the same with remaining batter.
11. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

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Ven pongal|வெண் பொங்கல்

Ven pongal is a traditional South Indian breakfast that is healthy and delicious. This simple recipe is made with rice and split moong dal. It is usually served with coconut chutney and sambar. Pongal is easily digestible and is loved by people of all age groups.

Ingredients

• Raw rice - 1/2 cup
• Split moong dal/Pasiparuppu - 1/2 cup
• Water - 3 cups
• Ghee - 1tsp
• Salt - to taste

     For the seasoning

• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Grated ginger - 1 tbsp
• Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp
• Cashewnuts - 2 tbsp, broken
• Curry leaves - few
• Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
• Whole black pepper - 1 tsp

Method

1. Dry roast the split moong dal in medium flame for 3-4 minutes.
2. Wash the rice and soak it along with roasted dal in water for 10 mins.
3. Add 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker and bring it to boil.
4. Add the soaked rice and dal, salt and 1 tsp of ghee. Pressure cook for 5 whistles in medium flame.
5. Heat oil and 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan in medium flame.
6. Then add hing, ginger, cahewnuts and curry leaves. When the nuts are roasted reduce the flame and add cumins seeds and pepper and roast for 20-30 seconds.
7. Add it to the pongal and mix well.
8. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

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Ashoka Halwa|Pasiparuppu Halwa|Split Moong Dal Halwa

Ashoka Halwa is a delicious South Indian dessert made with moong dal and wheat flour. It is a popular sweet originated from Thiruvayaiyaru(Thanjavur district, Tamilnadu).

Ingredients

• Split moong dal - 1/2 cup
• Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Ghee - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
• All purpose flour(Maida) - 1tbsp
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Food color - 1 pinch
• Cashew nuts - 8-10

Method

1. In a pressure cooker dry roast moong dal for 1 minute in high flame or until it leaves nice aroma. Do not brown the dal.
2. Add 3 cups of water and cook till mushy and soft. Grind into smooth paste.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan and fry cashew nuts until golden. Remove from pan and keep aside.
4. In the same pan add the wheat flour and all purpose flour and roast it in small flame until it emits roasted aroma.
5. Add moong dal paste and sugar to the roasted flour and mix well in medium flame. The mixture becomes watery when the sugar melts.
6. Add food color, cardamom powder, roasted cashew nuts and a tbsp of ghee and stir continuously.
7. When the mixtures becomes slightly thick add another tbsp of ghee and keep stirring continuously in medium flame. Keep adding the ghee at regular intervals.
8. Cook until the halwa starts to leave the sides of the pan and the ghee oozes out of the mixture. If the halwa doesn't stick to your hands it means it is cooked to the right consistency.
9. Ready to serve and enjoy the treat!

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Sweet Kozhukattai|Vella Kozhukattai|Mothagam

Vella Kozhukattai is a delicious sweet recipe prepared during Vinayagar Chathurthi festival. The stuffing is made out of coconut and jaggery (thengai pooranam).

Ingredients

• Rice flour - 1 cup (Idiyappam flour preferable)
• Oil - 1 tsp (sesame oil preferable)
• Salt - to taste

    For pooranam

• Jaggery - 1 cup
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1. Boil 1.5 cups of water with oil and salt for a minute and turn off the flame.
2. Add rice flour gradually while stirring continuously with a spatula. Cover it and let it cool.
3. Knead the dough while it's warm and keep aside. Keep it covered with a damp cloth and close it with a lid.
4. For pooranam, heat a pan and add jaggery and 1/4 cup of water. Mix till the jaggery melts and filter to remove impurities. Return the jaggery water to the pan and add grated coconut, ghee and cardamom powder. Mix well for 5 minutes in low-medium flame until it thickens and become dry. Turn off the stove. Don't overcook the mixture.
5. Make even sized balls from the dough. Keep it covered with the damp cloth to prevent drying.
6. Grease the mould with oil, close it and put 3/4th of the ball in the mould. Press the dough on the walls of the mould using your fingers. 
7. Add a portion of pooranam and seal it evenly with the remaining 1/4th of the ball on top.
8. Open the mould and gently remove the kozhukattai/modakam from the mould.
9. Repeat this and keep covered until steaming.
10. Arrange all the kozhukattais on a idli plate and steam cook for 10 minutes. Ready to serve.

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