Monday, November 28, 2011

PistaCerelacVada

Vada is South Indian Snack or breakfast. It can be had with idli or dosa.

Vada is mainly made up of dhal but I tried a different version.

I had brought cerelac to my second son, Aadya who is seven months old, did not like the flavor plain wheat. I had pista at home, which my first son Aditya did not like to eat. Hence these two were the main ingredient for me to make this vada.

Ingredients:



  • Cerelac – 200 gms
  • Coriander Leaves – ¼ bunch
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for deep frying
  • Green Chillies  - 4
  • Pista – few
  • Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp
  • Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Method:
  1. Grind pista and green chillies into a paste
  2. Take cerelac, put chopped coriander leaves, salt, pista and green chillies paste, baking soda, chilli powder, mix well.
  3. Heat little oil and pour into this mixture.
  4. Pour water make the mixture as a dough.
  5. Heat the oil in a kadai.
  6. Make small vadas from the dough and leave them till they become crispy.
  7. Serve them with tomato ketchup or with chutney.
I gave this to my mom-in-law, Aditya and my maid-servant. They all told it was good in taste before they knew what all went inside the vada. Pat on my back.

This post is being sent to
Kids Delight


Thanks to Events-n-Roundup which gives information about many events like this.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Crispy Idli

Crispy idlis:

Yesterday morning, mom-in-law had made idlis at home and kept few for me for the evening to prepare these crispy idlis.


My hubby and my son both passed away a good to me after eating this. I am happy for this recipe. I had to pat my back because of these goods showered to me.
Ingredients:
  • Idlis – 6 nos
  • Oil – 3 tbsp
  • Onion – 2
  • Salt to taste
  • Chilli Powder – 2 tbsp
  • Curry leaves
  • Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
  • Urad Dhal – 1 tsp
  • Channa dhal – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric – 1 tsp
 
Method:
  1. After heating the oil in kadai, add mustard seeds and leave it to splutter
  2. Add curry leaves, urad dhal, channa dhal
  3. Add onion and fry them till golden brown
  4. Add salt and mix the ingredients well
  5. Make the idlis into quarter and then put them into the oil (if you have a non-stick frying pan, its good to make these. I am missing them.)
  6. Fry them and leave them till they turn brown
  7. Add turmeric and mix them well and allow them to get fried
  8. Add chilli powder and again fry them
  9. Once you feel it’s completely crispy, turn off the stove and serve it.
 
This is going as a snack recipe to Winter Carnival started by Radhika on Tickling Palatea.

IdliBatter_Idli

Idli is one of the South Indian breakfast which is made either from Raw Rice and urad dhal or from rice soji and urad dhal.

Rice Soji with Urad dhal is very easier and faster compared to Raw Rice and Urad dhal.

Preparation of Idli Batter:

Method – 1: Raw rice and Urad Dhal. If Raw rice is 2 glasses then put urad dhal ¾ glass.
  • Soak Urad dhal for about 8 hours along with Raw Rice.
  • Grind it to make idli batter watch out the water, as if it is more than it can be used as dosa batter instead of idli batter. J
  • Add salt and leave it to ferment in the night.

Method – 2: Rice Soji and Urad Dhal. If Rice Soji used is 2 glasses then put Urad dhal ¾ glass.
  • Soak Urad dhal separately for about 8 hours (ideally, soak it in the morning grind it in the evening). Soak rice soji separately for the same amount of time.
  • Grind Urad dhal to a fine paste and add rice soji in the end and grind just for one round for 5 minutes. This is just to ensure that rice soji and urad dhal mix well and urad dhal should become little coarse.
  • Add salt and leave it to ferment in the night.

To make idlis:
  • Next day morning, take the idli pan and put little oil or ghee in each of the cup and grease them.
  • Pour 3 to 4 tbsp idli batter to fill up each cup and keep it in idli cooker. Leave them to steam and get cooked properly. It might take 15 to 20 mins maximum.
  • Take out the idlis in a hot case.
  • Serve it hot with chutney and sambar.

Monday, November 21, 2011

MosaruKodabale_MosaruNipathu

Mosaru Kodabale and Mosaru Nipathu:
Dough out of curds

Snacks from curds, this was an eye catcher for me, when I checked this recipe out on Prathibha's blog - The Chef and her Kitchen.

In my house, we make curds and once in a week we will have sambar/curry made out of curds. This was a real new thing in my house, which added smile to all of us in this winter.


Ingredients:
Mosaru Kodabale
  • Sour Curds - 1 cup
  • Rice Flour - 1 cup
  • Moong Dhal - 3/4 cup
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh Coconut (grated) - 1/4 cup
  • Cilantro / Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
  • Green Chilli Paste - 2 tbsp
Method:
Mosaru Kodabale & Mosaru Nipatu
Ready to Serve
  1. Put moong dhal, grated coconut, salt to sour curds and heat in a medium flame. 
  2. Wait till it boils and switch off the stove
  3. Add chopped coriander leaves, green chilli paste and rice flour to the mixture
  4. As the mixture is too hot, use kitchen gloves to the hand or wet your hand with cold water and mix them well. Make small doughs out of the mixture.
  5. Knead the dough well and take little dough make a thin line and revolve them like rings. These are called as mosaru kodabale.
  6. Take little dough and make them a thin plate. These would be called as mosaru nipatu.
  7. Deep fry mosaru kodable and mosaru nipatu in hot oil.
  8. Serve them with tomato ketchup.
NOTE: Eat them when it is hot only, if it becomes cold, then it would go softer and will lose its crispy-ness. We had few when it was hot and after sometime when we checked it had become soft.

This post is sent for Radhika's Winter Carnival on tickling palatea.

BeetrootPalya

Beetroot Palya:

Ingredients:
Beetroot - 3
Palya Powder - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Cilantro/Coriander leaves - few


Method:
Grate the beetroot using a handy grater
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds to it and wait till it splutters
Add curry leaves and leave them to roast
Add Salt, Sugar to the oil
Put the grated beetroot to the oil
Stir them well
Once the beetroot is cooked, add palya powder and mix well
Garnish with coriander leaves

PalyaPowder

Palya Powder:

Using different powders in cooking, cooking would be very simpler and fast, as they are handy.


Ingredients:
Groundnut Seeds (roasted) - 1 cup
Fried gram (pottukadale) (putani) (chanagapappulu) - 1 cup
Red Chillies (guntur mirpakayalu, which is not twisted) - 1/2 cup


Method:
Grind all the above ingredients in a food processor / mixer


Note: You need to just add this powder while making palya/poriyal along with salt for the cooked vegetable.

RasamwithDhal

Paruppu Rasam or Rasam with Dhal:

A must required for our lunch, as my son and my hubby both are crazy of having rasam rice.

Toor Dhal with tomato is cooked for 4 to 5 whistles. (or till the dhal is properly cooked)
Prepare tadka with mustard seeds and curry leaves, which is nothing but once the oil is hot add mustard seeds and wait till it splutters, add curry leaves.
Add tamarind syrup and cooked tomato into the tadka and leave it to boil.
Add Rasam powder, salt and a little jaggery. Let it boil.
Add cooked dhal to rasam.

Back to Saturdaylunch_19Nov11.

DhalTadka

Dhal tadka:

Its nice to eat in occasion, along with chappati. Its very simple to cook.


Dhal Tadka
  • Wash the channa dhal once and add little turmeric to it and cook for 3 whistles.

  • Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadai, when its hot, add mustard seeds and wait till it splutters.
  • Add curry leaves, chopped green chillies, salt and fry
  • Put cooked dhal and fry them for some more time
  • Sprinkle coriander leaves on top of dhal tadka.
Back to Saturdaylunch_19Nov11

SweetPongal

SweetPongal:

A perfect lunch should have atleast one sweet (diabetes patient try the same with  sugar free ingredient).

Ingredients:
  • Rice - 1 cup
  • Channa Dhal - 1 handful
  • Jaggery - 1/2 cup
  • Cardmom Powder - 1 tsp
  • Dry grapes / kismis - 1 handful (quantity can vary as per your taste)
  • Cashewnuts - 5 to 6
  • Ghee - 2 tbsp
  • Poppy Seeds - 2 tsp
  • Coconut - 1/2

Method:
Sweet Pongal/Chakra Pongal
  1. Cook rice and channa dhal (kadale bele) for 4 whistles
  2. Add 1 tsp ghee into a kadai, heat them fry cashewnuts and dry grapes, keep them aside
  3. Add remaining ghee and heat them, put poppy seeds, cardmom powder, coconut and fry for sometime
  4. Add the cooked rice and dhal and fry for some more time, so that all the ingredients get mixed.
  5. Add jaggery in the end and leave it for sometime, let them get mixed well
  6. Serve hot.
Back to SaturdayLunch_19Nov11

SaturdayLunch_19Nov11

I was delighted to cook last Saturday, 19th Nov 2011 a variety of dishes viz., Rice, Dhal Fry, Rasam with Dhal, Beetroot Palya/Poriyal, Sweet Pongal and curds (of course, curds is just adding sour curds into the milk nothing more than that).

Sweet Pongal/Chakra Pongal
Beetroot Palya



Dhal Tadka

Rasam with Dhal
MosaruKodabale-MosaruNipatu
In the evening, I had prepared Mosaru Kodabale and Mosaru Nipatu. Thus was my beautiful Saturday.

Friday, November 18, 2011

TomatoBread

My working day starts with writing a post. I am getting addicted to my blog. Thanks for all those whom I follow through their blogs. Added advantage is event in their blog.

Yesterday, I had just posted my tomato gojju recipe which I prepared on last friday. As it was over I just did tomato gojju and mixed it with my bread. Had tomato bread and coffee for my breakfast, an yummy and healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:
  • Tomato Gojju - 1 tbsp
  • Bread - 2
  • Butter - 1 tsp




Method:
  1. Put the butter on the bread on both the sides and toast them
  2. Separate the bread crumbs from the bread and keep it aside
  3. Take a bowl and mix bread pieces and tomato gojju.
  4. Garnish the mixture with bread crumbs as the bread pieces would have become soft.


This post is going to the following events.
Breakfast Club by Krithika on Krithi's Kitchen started by Helen.

LGSS - Tomato event by Anu started by Vatsala.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Paddu

Paddu

Paddu or Khara Panniyaram can be had as a breakfast or as a snack. This is made up of dosa batter. This can be served with any kind of chutney. Children would love to eat them with tomato ketchup. This is also a South Indian recipe. Paddu with coffee serves as a winter recipe for your sweet evening.

Ingredients:
  • Dosa Batter – 1 cup
  • Groundnut seeds – ½ cup
  • Onion – 2 nos
  • Coriander leaves – ½ cup
  • Salt to taste

Method:
  1. Roast and remove the skin of groundnut seeds
  2. Grind the groundnut seeds just one small round in mixer
  3. Add chopped onion, groundnut seeds, chopped coriander leaves, salt to dosa batter and mix them well
  4. Put 1 tsp oil in each hole in panniyaram acchu
  5. Now fill each hole of panniyaram acchu with the mixture
  6. Leave them to roast
  7. Add oil on the other side and allow them to roast again (watch out so that it doesn’t get burnt)
  8. Remove them from the acchu and serve them with chutney
This post is sent to Winter Carnival launched by Radhika on Tickling Palatea.

KolluSundal

Kollu Sundal:

Winter in Bangalore is too cold because of its nature, but due to cut down of trees it is not that cold comparatively to previous years.

To keep ourselves warm in winter, we would tend to eat more snacks. On Sunday, my hubby wanted to have  Kollu Sundal, means Horsegram Sundal for snacks and its rasam. My mother-in-law started her preparation for the same.
Horsegram should be soaked atleast for 5 to 6 hours, then it should be cooked in cooker for atleast 10 to 12 whistles. Horsegram would not lose its raw smell, even after it is cooked. Cooked water is used to make rasam and cooked kollu is used to make sundal.

Ingredients:


  • Horsegram – 500 gms
  • Oil – 2 tsp
  • Onion – 4 nos
  • Small Green chillies – 6 nos
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
  • Coconut – 1 (grated)
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves - few

Method:
  1. Heat oil in a kadai
  2. Add mustard seeds to the hot oil, and wait till it splutters and add curry leaves
  3. Put chopped onions and fry them golden brown
  4. Add green chillies and salt and fry them for some more time
  5. Pour cooked horsegram and fry them so that onions, chillies, and salt get mixed completely
  6. Put coconut and mix them with the mixture
  7. Sprinkle coriander leaves on them
  8. Remove it from the stove and serve it

This post is going to the event Back to Roots from Archana on MadScientistKitchen and

Winter Carnival from Radhika on TicklingPalatea.

UllavaluRasam

Ullavalu is a telugu name for horsegram. Its tamil name is kollu.

Rasam is good for digestion. Its famous in South India and elders would prefer to have rasam in their food to ease the process of digestion, especially when there is heavy lunch/dinner.

Ingredients:
  • Cooked ullavalu – 1 bowl
  • Cooked ullavalu water
  • Ripped tomatoes – 2 nos
  • Tamarind Juice – 2 tsp
  • Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
  • Rasam Powder – 1 tbsp
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Jaggery – a small one (just for taste)
  • Crystal Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves - few

Method:
  1. Grind cooked ullavalu and tomatoes to a paste
  2. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds wait till it splutters, add curry leaves
  3. Pour tamarind juice and once it starts boling
  4. Add salt, rasam powder and jiggery, leave them to boil
  5. Now put grinded mixture and cooked ullavalu water leave them to boil in a medium flame
  6. Once it is completely boiled, sprinkle coriander leaves and serve them
This post is going to Healthy Cooking Challenge launched by Kavitha on Edible Entertainment.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

BadamDatesBalls

BadamDatesBalls:

I am very eager to post this today itself, which I prepared yesterday night within 20 minutes. I wonder how could a person who was not knowing how to cook sweets, could do it in 20 minutes?



Coincidence is, I checked madscientist'skitchen today written by  Archana and she has also prepared DatesLaddoos from her partner blog, Radhika, author of Ticklingpalatea. I am also sending my post to Blog Hop Wednesday - Week #9.


Ingredients:
  • Badam - 100 gms
  • Dates - 100 gms
  • Sugar - 100 gms
  • Cardmom Powder - 1 tsp
  • Ghee - 2 tbsp for frying and 1 tsp to grease on the plate
  • Milk - 2 tsp to make small balls
Method:
  1. Powder Badam, Dates and sugar separately and mix it together
  2. Heat ghee in a kadai and add the mixture
  3. Roast them in ghee till you get a nice aroma
  4. Pour milk and stir the mixture well
  5. Grease a plate with ghee
  6. When the mixture is warm, make small balls
  7. Garnish with copra pieces on top of it

TomatoChappati


Tomato Chappati:

I came to know that Anu is hosting an event called LGSS-Tomato between 5th Nov to 5th Dec 2011. This LGSS series was started by Vatsala in June 2011. Checked out my dining table, luckily found Tomato gojju and added it along with Chappati.

Ingredients:


  • Atta or Wheat flour – 250 gms
  • Ghee – 2 tsp
  • Oil – 4 tbsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Water to make Chappati dough
  • Tomato gojju – 4 tbsp

Method:
  1. Take atta in a bowl, add ghee, 2 tbsp oil, salt and mix them well along with water to make a dough
  2. Add oil as and when you mix the dough well so that the dough would be soft enough (you can use milk or curds to get more softness)
  3. Make small balls and roll them using rolling pin to a circle size and apply oil and tomato gojju on them, spread it across the circle
  4. Fold the sides twice so that a triangle is formed
  5. Press the triangle so that the dough is equally spread to make chappatis
  6. Put the chappati on tawa or frying pan
  7. After it’s roasted on first side, turn it to the other side and spread oil on first side
  8. Turn it again and spread oil on second side, roast it
  9. Serve tomato chappati with curds

TomatoGojju

Tomato Gojju:

My mom-in-law, Vani says gojju will save our time and will remain handy for days together if it is cooked properly. Reason behind is, it can be had as a side dish or with rice when you have less time to cook.

Ingredients:
For grinding:
  • Ripped tomatoes – 6 nos
  • Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
  • Fenugreek Seeds – 1 tsp
For cooking:
  • Oil – 2 tbsp
  • Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Chilli Powder – 2 tsp (according to your taste)
  • Salt to taste
  • Grinded tomato juice

Method:
  1. Heat oil in a kadai
  2. Add mustard seeds and wait till it splutters
  3. Add curry leaves, salt and chilli powder
  4. Add grinded tomato juice and keep stirring occasionally
  5. Tomato juice starts becoming thick and the oil would come out from sides
  6. Garnish cilantro on the top of the juice and remove it from the stove
NOTE: Store it in porcelain dish so that it lasts longer.

Pesarathu


A famous Andhra breakfast recipe is Pesarathu. It’s made up of green gram dhal and it looks more or less like dosa. This is a slighter different version from my partner Saraswathi's blog.

Ingredients:
  • Green Gram Dhal – 500 gms
  • Green chillies – 6 nos
  • Onion – 3 nos
  • Coriander leaves – ¼ bunch
  • Water (as required)
  • Rice flour – ¼ gms

Method:
  1. Soak green gram dhal overnight almost about 8 to 10 hours
  2. Next day morning add green gram dhal, chillies, coriander leaves and grind it either in the food processor or in mixer with little water. Batter should be same as dosa
  3. Chop onions into small pieces using the chopper or knife
  4. Add salt and rice flour to the batter and mix well
  5. Heat the dosa pan in a medium flame
  6. Add little oil and spread it across the dosa pan
  7. Pour the pesaratu batter on the pan
  8. Spread it across
  9. When the first side is roasted turn it the other side till it gets roasted well
  10. Serve it hot with any chutney
For a special taste, garnish onion and coriander leaves on them.

In Andhra they serve this with upma or upittu. This post is sent to Blog Hop Wednesday started by Radhika.


Logo of her contest is as displayed in the side:

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

MasalaPapad

After a week full of hectic work schedule at office I am free on weekends. Thanks to all my bloggers whom I follow, because of them I have learnt to think how better my lunch table can be on Saturday.

Isn't it a cool and nice idea to add a hot "masala papad" along with rice, sambar, rasam and curds to make your winter day little hot. 

Radhika of tickling palatea, a fellow blogger has come up with a great theme called Winter Carnival between 1st Nov to 31st Dec 2011, for which I am herewith sending this post. Logo for this event is:


 
 Ingredients:
  • Papad - 5 (one for each family member)
  • Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
  • Onion - 1
  • Tomato - 1
  • Lemon - 1/2 slice
  • Green Chillies - 1 (as per taste)
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves / Cilantro for garnishing

Method:
  1. Cut onion into small pieces.
  2. Cut tomato into small pieces
  3. Chop green chillies
  4. Heat little oil in kadai and add mustard seeds, wait till it splutters.
  5. Add onion and fry them till they are golden brown
  6. Add chillies and fry them for sometime
  7. Add tomato and fry them for sometime
  8. Sprinkle salt and mix the mixture well
  9. Take hot papads (papads which are fried in oil) and add the mixture on them.
  10. Garnish cilantro/coriander leaves on the masala papad
  11. Squeeze lemon on them

Friday, November 11, 2011

FruitSaladOats

Oats helps us in reducing cholestrol. Fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals. Then isn't a combination of these two along with milk is good for health? I would like to thank  my colleagues Davameena and Aditya for this wonderful dish.

This served me today as my light lunch.

Ingredients:
  • Quaker Oats - 50gms
  • Pineapple - 2 small pieces
  • Papaya - 4 small pieces
  • Musk Melon - 2 small pieces
  • Banana - 1
  • Sugar - 5 cubes 
  • Milk - 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup
Method:
  1. In hot milk add quaker oats and sugar cubes
  2. Let the oats get cooked in oven for less than 2 minutes
  3. Remove and add the abovesaid fruits
  4. Keep it in oven for 30 seconds (if required add extra milk)
Thanks to Sara Food which gives information on different events. Through this I found an event called "Healthy Cooking Challenge" 
hosted by Kavi, author of Edible Entertainment  for November 2011 of where the theme is Healthy Cooking Challenge - Lunch. Initially the idea of Healthy Cooking Challenge was started by Smitha



Thanks to Events-n-Roundup which gave me info about 100-day-Global-Festival on SizzlingTastebuds by Kalyani.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Sabbakivada

I was wondering what to prepare for snacks on Saturday afternoon for my children who would come home after their school with a holiday mood. I checked out and found Sabudan or Sabbaki and thought of doing Vada out of it.

I took them out, washed and rinsed for 4 hours in water. After 4 hours I was ready to prepare Sabbakivada or Sabudan vada.

Ingredients:
  • Sabbaki - 500gms
  • Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
  • Onion - 4
  • Green Chillies -8 nos. (it can be changed according to the spicy-ness u want)
  • Salt to taste
  • Baking Soda - 1 tsp
  • Oil for deep frying
Method:
  1. Cut onion and green chillies into small pieces
  2. Take the sabbaki mixture and add chopped onion and chillies, add salt and mix them.
  3. Add baking soda and mix the mixture
  4. Heat oil in kadai
  5. Make small balls and add them into the oil
  6. Leave the balls in the oil till they turn golden brown and turn it to the other side
  7. Serve them hot with tomato ketchup
Uses: In Ayurvedic medicine, it is believed that sago porridge can be an effective and simple food to "cool and balance one's body heat" when taking strong medicine or antibiotics. - From Wikipedia.

This post is going to "Back to Roots!" contest going on in Archana's blog.