Garlic Pickle

Ingredients:

1. Peeled garlic : 3 cups (200 ml cup)
2. Table Salt : 5 Tsps
3. Chillie Powder : 9 Tsps
4. Coriander seeds : 1 Tbsps
5. Jeera (cumin) seeds : 1 Tsp
6. Methi (fenugreek) : 1/2 tsp
7. Lime juice (fresh) : 1/4 cup
8. Til oil : 1 cup

Method:

Take a fairly broad vessel and fill it with water to less than 1/4 it's capacity. Cover the vessel with a thin , clean cloth .The cloth should be stretched lightly, with a slight sag in the center.Then tie a thread around the rim of the vessel so that the cloth is held in place across the mouth of the vessel. Take care to see that the cloth is not hanging too long along the sides of the vessel, lest it catches fire!

Place the peeled garlic on this and cover with a plate.Keep the vessel on the stove on sim fire and let the water boil for ten minutes. The garlic will get cooked and change color. Remove and transfer the garlic on to a dry cloth on a plate plate to cool.

Dry roast the items from (3) to (6) and powder. Put half the oil in a flat, dry vessel and add the powdered ingredients and mix well.The powder should soak in the oil. Add oil if necessary to let it soak well. Then add the garlic and lime juice and mix well. Cover and leave it aside for an hour. Take a clean bottle/jar and just pour little oil in it and turn the bottle so the the oil forms a film along the insides of the bottle. Using a spoon transfer the pickle from the vessel to the bottle. Top up with some more of the remaining oil so that it stands on the top of the pickle. You can start using the pickle in a couple of days, but should refrigerate so that it can last for 2 to three weeks.

Jaggery syrup for dosas

Children are fussy about food is it not? And if you made dosas they do not like chutney or sambar with it. Probably you serve them ghee and sugar or may be jam? But here is a simple jaggery syrup ( which is better and healthier than refined sugar).

Ingredients:

Jaggery : 500 gms.

cardamom : 3 or 4 peeled and powdered fine

Method:
Put the jaggery in a thick pan and pour a cup of water.Keep on stove and let it boil and melt. When all the jaggery is dissolved use a fine strainer or clean cloth to strain this thin syrup. In India jaggery has some impurities and small stones/sand.by straining this way you get clean syrup. Transfer this clean syrup to a thick pan and keep boiling till it thickens and forms syrup of 1 to 2 string consistency. Add powdered cardamom and stir well.When cool this syrup should be fluid enough to come on a spoon ( like honey).If not you can add a little bit of water and keep on stove for one boil.When cool store in a air tight container and serve with iddlies and dosas to the kids.See how they will love it.