Chellammacooks

Sweet pongal (sakkarai pongal) Sweet pongal is an easy dessert. It is a traditional sweet we make on special occasions. My chellamma makes it in a easy simple way ( as usual). Let me share the recipe. Ingredients: 1. Raw rice - 1 cup 2. Jaggery powder - 1 cup 3. cardamom - 5 4. Ghee - 2 spoons 5. cashew nuts - 10 6. Raisins - 10 7. Salt - pinch Method: 1. wash rice and cook with 4 cups of water. 2. add salt and crushed cardamom. 3. add jaggery powder and mix well. now heat 1 spoon ghee in a pan add cashews and then add raisins. 4. mix fried cashews, raisins and rest of the ghee in rice jaggery mixture. switch of the stove . Yummy pongal is ready.

Beauty benefits of cow ghee We all know about cullinary uses of cow ghee. My chellamma does not spend much money for cosmetics.As I mentioned earlier,I admire her beauty and she is ageing very graceful. All my friends spend a lot to buy anti ageing creams. My wife use just pure cow ghee to enhance and maintain her beauty. Let me share few tips. 1. Ghee bath - once in a week take a blissful ghee bath to hydrate, moisturize your skin naturally. 2. once in week apply plenty of ghee in hair and wash after 30 minutes with shampoo to get shiny hair. No need to use conditioner. 3. Apply ghee to heal heel cracks. 4. apply daily to fade away dark circles.

Mango Pachadi (raw mango jam) Whenever I see mango, my heart craves for manga pachadi. Yummy tasty healthy (yes iron rich) mango pachadi is easy to make. My chellamma makes it in a simple easy way. here is the recipe. Ingredients: 1.green mango - 1 (big) cut into pieces 2. jaggery powder - 1/2 cup 3. green chilly - 1 or 2 ( just to enhance flavour and taste) Method: 1. Boil raw mango pieces and green chillies in a cup of water 2. when mango pieces are cooked, add jaggery powder and cook for few more minutes. Cool and serve.

Masala vadai My chellamma makes many varieties of tasy vadai. My favourite is Masala vadai (tea kadai style). Ingredients: 1. Red gram (kadalai paruppu) - 2 cups 2.onions (finely chopped)  - 2 cups 3. green chilli finely chopped - 1 spoon 4. Ginger finely chipped - 1 spoon 5.coriander leaves finely chopped - 1 spoon 6. Fresh curry leaves finely chopped - 1 spoon 7. Oil for frying 8. salt Method: 1. Red gram for two hours. grind in a mixer and keep aside. 2. mix all ingredients together and keep aside. 3. Heat oil in a pan. make small balls and flatten slightly.  fry in hot oil. Yummy tasty masala vadai is ready.

Barley water Losing weight is a battle that many are busy fighting today! People are ready to try everything to lose a few kilos. But have you thought of using barley water to lose weight? here is a simple yet effective recipe to make barley water. Ingredients: Barley  - 2 tablespoons Salt      - 1/2 spoon Water   - 1/2 litre Method: Book 1/2 litre clean drinking water. add  barley and cook for another 30 minutes. Mix salt and switch off the drive. let it cool. you can strain and have the barley water with lemon juice twice or thrice a day.