Dahi Chaat made with Mini Idlis

Kara dosa

Ingredients

Raw rice - 1 cup

Boiled rice (idli rice) - 1/2 cup

Toor dhal - 1/4 cup

Red chillies - 3 to 5

Pepper - 1 tspn

Cumin - 1 tspn

Coconut - 1/2 (grated)

Salt to taste

Directions

• Soak the rice varieties and the dhal together for 1 to 2 hours
• Grind the Redchillies, pepper, cumin, grated coconut, salt and then add the rice and toor dhal soaked.
• Grind this mixture either in wet grinder or mixer grinder to the consistency of the Rava dosa batter. The batter must be a little coarse.
• Now the mixture is ready for preparing kara dosas.
• Prepare thin crispy kara dosas like the rava dosas.
• Serve it hot with coconut சட்னி

Veggie Pizza

(Courtesy : My friend Meghana)

Ingredients :

Pillsbury pizza dough (thin crust ) : 1 no
Mixed veggies : 1/2 cup ( I used red, yellow, green and orange peppers, peas, yellow and green zucchini)
Maggie hot and sweet tomato sauce : 4 tbsp
Red Onion : 1 no
Tomato : 1 no
salt : to taste
Pepper : 1 tsp
oil : 2tsp



Directions :

Preheat the oven to 325 F degrees.

In a pan heat the oil and add the onions. Once the onions are half cooked add the veggies and saute them lightly with salt and pepper.

Now unroll the dough in a plate and pour the maggie sauce and spread it well until all the area of the dough is covered. Now add the sauted veggies. Cut the tomatoes in circle and place them all over the pizza. Bake it for 15 mins or until the dough the cooked.

Serve it hot.

Note: You can add cheese.

Raw Plaintain Stem Salad (Vazha thandu Salad)

Raw Plaintain Stem Salad

Ingredients:

Plaintain Stem - 1 (a foot length)

Buttermilk - 1 cup (can be little watery also)

Lemon Juice extract - from 1 lemon

Salt - to Taste

Green chillies - 2 Nos.

Directions:

• Slice the Stem with the help of a slicer in to thin slices. While slicing itself, slice the stem into the bowl of buttermilk.(the reason for using buttermilk is to avoid the color change of the stem)
• Leave it for five minutes
• Now strain the stem from the buttermilk and keep it aside in a separate bowl.
• Add salt, lemon juice and Green chillies to the Plaintain stem.
• Mix it well, so that Salt and lemon juice are coated on all the slices of the stem.
• Keep it for an hour and it is ready to be served. (Its one of the healthier dish)
• It can be served as a side dish with hot Rasam Saadham.

Molaga Bajji

Molaga bajji - batter fried chilli crispies

For the batter
Roasted gram flour (kadala maavu/besan/chickpea flour) - 100 gms
Rice flour - 50 gms
Corn flour - 10 gms
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 5 gms Turmeric powder - a pinch
Cumin (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida (perumkayam) - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Mix all the ingredients with sufficient water to create a thick batter(to the batter of Idli/dosa). The batter should be thick enough to form a stable coating on the chillies.

For the bajjis
Bajji molaga - 8 Nos
Slit the Chillies take care that they remain intact with the stems(Split up till the stem end). Heat oil in a thick skillet.Drop a small drop of the batter in, if it rises up with a sizzle then you know the temperature is right. Dip the slit chillies in to the batter. Ensure that it is coated all over and in between the slits.
Drop into the oil gently and fry ensuring all sides are an even crusty brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup! (Can also be served with coconut chutney)

Baigan Ka Bartha ( Eggplant Curry )

Ingredients :

Baingan / Egg plant : 2 Big ones
Jeera : 2 tbsp
Onion : 1 no
Tomatoes : 2 Nos
Garlic : 10 cloves
Oil : 4 tbsp
Green chillies : 4 nos
Garam Masala : 1 tsp
Chilli powder : 2 tsp
Sambar powder/ Pav baji masala / Chole masala : 3 tsp
Chat masala : 1 tsp
Turmeric: 1 tsp
Curd : 2 tbsp
Salt : To taste
Hing: A pinch
Curry leaves : 5 nos
Cilantro: To garnish

Directions:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Wash the bringals and poke small holes in it. Place the garlic inside the holes, apply some oil and put it in the oven. Cook it for 30- 45 mins until the skin peels off.

In a pan heat the remaining oil and add jeera,curry leaves and hing. When the jeera splatters add the onion, green chillies and salt. Wait till the onions are translucent and then add the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes covered until they become soft. Now add turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder, sambar powder and chat masala. Cover it with lid and simmer for 10 mins. Remove the lid and add the curd and simmer for 5 mins more to ensure that all the water is evaporated.

Remove the eggplant from the oven and peel off the skin. Mash it well along with garlic that was stuffed in them. Now add the same to the masala and cook for 5 mins. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rotis/ bread.

Note: If you dont have oven then cook the eggplant under direct heat on the stove.

Simple Bindi

Ingredients :

Bindi/ Ladies Finger : 1 pound
Red Onion : 1 no
Green Chillies : 4 Nos
Salt : To taste
Curry Leaves : 4 Nos
Hing : A pinch
Mustard Seeds : 1tsp
Urad dal : 1tsp
Channa dal : 1tsp
Amchur powder : 3tsp
Oil : 3 tbsp

Directions:

Cut the bindis in about 1/4 inch thick. The bindi should not be too thick nor too thin.In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard splatters add the urad dal, channa dal, hing, green chillies and curry leaves.Add the onions after the dals turn light brown in colours. Fry the same till the onions are translucent.Now add the bindis, salt and mix well. Cover it and cook till the bindis are soft. Now add the amchur powder and mix well. Cover the vegetable for 3 mins and turn off the heat. Serve it hot with rotis.

Indian Style Pasta

(Courtesy : My friend Nithya )

Hey Guys,

Our blog had been idle for sometime now , so I thought why not kick it off with a spicy pasta/noodles.


Ingredients:

Whole Grain pasta/ Noodles : 1 Packet
Red chillies : 5-6 nos
Finely chopped Green pepper, beans , cabbage and carrot : 1/2 cup
Red Onion : 1 nos
Tomatoes : 2 nos
Garlic : 2 Cloves
Oil : 4 tbsp
Hing : A pinch
Curry leaves : 4 nos
Cilantro : for Garnish
Salt : To taste


Directions:

Soak the red chillies in hot water for 2 hrs.Then drain them and grind the red chillies with tomatoes, onion, salt and garlic to a smooth paste. In a pan heat 2 tbsp of oil and pour this mixture and simmer. Keep stirring the mixture until it absorbs all the oil and comes to a paste consistency. It would take almost 1/2 hour for the same to come to a paste consistency, this process is the longest of all and it has to be done in low heat to enable the flavors to come out.

In another pan heat the remaining oil and fry all the vegetables along with hing and curry leaves.Keep the vegetables crisp and take off from heat.

Boil water in a large pan, add salt and pasta to the same and cook well. The pasta should be 95% cooked. Drain the pasta and allow it to cool

Now mix the vegetables in the chilly paste well and then add the drained pasta. Simmer the heat and cover it for 1 min. Then garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

This is a spicy dish and a highly satisfying lunch/dinner. This can be made out of noodles too. I tried it with whole grain pasta to bring a nutritional flavor to the food.

Note: You can add any kind of vegetables like corn, peas, mushroom etc..

Which of these you want me to add first

Morkulambu , molaga bajji, greens dosa, plaintain stem salad, vendakkai poriyal and chow chow kootu

Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients :

Cooked Rice : 2 Cups
Beans : 1/4 Cup
Carrot : 1/4 Cup
Peas : 1/4 cup
Onions : 1/2 cup
Cashews : 2 tbsp
Ghee / oil : 4 tbsp
Salt : To taste.
Curry leaves : 4 nos
Mint leaevs : 4 nos

To Grind :

Bay leaf : 2 nos
Cinnamon Stick : 2 Nos
saunf : 2 Tsp
Poppy Seeds : 2 tsp
Dried Ani seed : 2 Nos
Green Chillies : 5 nos
Coconut : 1/4 cup
Oil : 1 tsp

Directions :

Place the oil and roast all the ingredients shown in the grind section expect coconut and green chillies. Allow it to cool and grind them with coconut, ani seed and green chillies.

In a pan, place the ghee/ oil and add the cashews and dried ani seeds. Saute them until light brown.Add the onions and saute them until they become translucent. Now add all the beans, carrots ( All cut length wise ), peas and curry leaves. saute the veggies till they become nice and tender but still crispy. Add the grind mixture and fry them until the flavors come out well.Now add salt and rice and mix well in a medium heat. Cover it and cook for 3 - 4 mins till the rice absorbs all the flavors.

Garnish with Mint leaves and serve with Raita.

Note: You can add more veggies like Capsicum, Cauliflower etc.