Urad Dhal Vada

Urad dhal vadai ulundu or Medu vadai in Tamil  is a popular south indian delicacy. It is usually served with idli,pongal or  can also be had as a snack as it is or as sambar vadai where it is soaked in hot sambar.Can be soaked in curd too and topped with boondhis to make it a cool Curd Vadai..Crispy on the outside and soft and spongy on the inside vadai is relatively an easy snack for any occasion


Urad Dhal-1 cup
Raw rice-1 1/2 tbsp
pepper-1 tsp crushed
Green chillies-cut finely-2
Ginger finely chopped=½ tsp
Curry leaves-few
salt -as needed
Asafoetida-a pinch


Wash the urad dhal and rice and soak in 2 cups of water for 2 hours.
Using a wet grinder or blender grind to smooth thick fluffy batter.

Add crushed pepper, green chili, ginger, salt asafoetida and curry leaves  mix well.


Mean while heat oil for frying. Wet your left palm and dip your hand in water before taking the batter so that the batter does not stick to your fingers. Place the batter on your left hand  (smear oil on your left palm)and flatten the batter and dig a hole in the centre

Drop this in medium hot oil and deep fry until golden brown on both sides. Again wet the hand and repeat the same for rest of the batter.

Drain the excess oil and serve with sambar or coconut chutney.

Tips

Keep the soaked urad dhal in refrigerator for a few minutes before grinding to get a fluffy batter


Rice is added to make the vadai crispier

Make sure the oil is medium hot else it will get burnt outside but half cooked inside

use only teaspoonfuls of water while grinding else vadais will consume oil

to check the consistency of the batter drop a teaspoon of batter in water,if it floats then go ahead with the prep

Can also add sliced onions to enhance flavor

Shaping is slightly tricky esp the traditional shape(I haven't got it right  this time but am going ahead and posting this not waiting for another trial and error,coz I can assure you of the taste and crispiness if you go by the above measurements and method)

If finding tough to get the shape take small quantities and drop them in oil as it is and will end up getting round vadais like Mysore Bonda..

Aloo Tikki

Chaats can be a sumptuous starter or in other words can be a filling snack..Sweet,tangy,spicy,aromatic..

Who wouldn't love them..With its origins in UP and nicknamed as mumbai street food their popularity has spread to entire South Asia..

This is one of my favorite among them

Anything with Aloo..

Aloo tikki


Potatoes-5-6(medium sized)
Onions-cut in small sizes-2 tablespoons(optional)
Chaat Masala-1 tsp
grated ginger-1/2 tsp
garam masala-1 tsp
corn flour-1 tbsp
Green chillies finely chopped
salt-as needed
coriander leaves-few
bread crumbs-half cup
oil-as needed

Method
Pressure cook potatoes for a couple of whistles.Peeel and grate them.

Take grated potatoes in another bowl. Add onions(they are optional, I love when onions and aloos come together hence added)corn flour, grated ginger, coriander leaves, finely chopped green chilli, garam masala powder,chaat masala and salt.

Mix them to prepare smooth dough like mixture. Divide mixture into 12 equal portions and roll them into small size balls.

Take one ball and gently press it between your palms and make a round shaped thick patty. Take 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs in a plate. Coat prepared patty with breadcrumbs on all sides by rolling it in breadcrumbs filled plate.

Heat a tawa drizzle 2 tbsps of oil and when the oil turns hot place the patties on the hot oil(basically shallow fry) Cook them till they turn golden brown

Flip patties and cook the other side as well

You can cook 2-3 patties at a time depending on the size of your tawa.

Serve hot with Ketchup or Khatta Meettha chutney!!

Wheat Moong Dhal Halwa

Halwa is an irresistible sweet for any festive occasion.Not a guilt free sweet though with loads of ghee and sugar/jaggery :)

Unparalleled aroma and texture makes this sweet overpowering 

Now lets get to the recipe

Wheat flour/atta- half cup
Moong dhal--half cup
Sugar-2 cups
Ghee-1 cup
Cardamom powder-a pinch
saffron-few strands
cashews and raisins fried in ghee and kept aside-1/4 cup

Method

Slightly roast moong ghal in a dry kadai till nice aroma comes and soak in water for half an hour

Meanwhile in a kadai add one tablespoon ghee and fry cashews and raisins and keep aside

Add one more tablespoon ghee and add wheat flour little by little to it stirring continuously.Keep the flame low.

When a nice aroma emanates turn off the stove and transfer the wheat flour to another plate

Pressure cook moong dhal for 3 whistle.Mash the dhal till its mushy.Add sugar in the kadai and add water till the sugar immerses.Boil till sugar dissolves completely and reaches one string consistency (when u touch the syrup with your forefinger and thump and pull them apart gently a single thread will be formed)

Now add the mashed dhal and mix well.Add wheat flour little by little.Keep adding the ghee occasionally and stir continuously.

When the halwa does not stick to the bottom of the kadai and ghee oozes,turn off the stove.Add cardamom powder and saffron strands at this stage

garnish with fried cashews raisins and serve hot..

Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice

A perfect recipe which comes handy as a quickie..

In less than five minutes you can liven up your plain rice with a few ingredients from your kitchen shelf

Here you go

Rice-1 cup(should not be sticky)

lemon-2

turmeric-a pinch

green chillies-sliced round-2

ginger grated-1/2 tsp

salt-as needed

asafoetida/hing-a pinch

urad dhal-1 tsp

chana dhal-1 tsp

peanuts-a handful

coriander leaves- few

curry leaves-few

Sesame oil-two table spoons

Method

In a pan add oil and temper mustard, urad, chana dhals and peanuts.fry for two minutes.

Now add green chillies and grated ginger

Add turmeric, curry leaves, hing and salt

Turn off the heat and squeeze the juice of two lemons.Those who prefer less tangy Lemon Rice can reduce the lemons to one

Mix well.

Now add rice to this mix 

Mix everything well using a fork

Garnish with coriander leaves

A perfect lunch box recipe!!

Serve with papad or Potato chips

Watermelon Amla Cooler

It is supposedly winter in Chennai,yet one rarely feels cold here.. Here is a drink for you to refresh esp when back from an elaborate shopping session or a long day at work...

Here is a quick and easy cooler to refresh with only two ingredients

Amla and Watermelon

Amla (Phyllanthus) is also known as amlakka or amlakai in Hindi, which means the “sustainers” or the fruit where the “goddess of prosperity presides”.

Watermelons are mostly water — about 92 percent — but this refreshing fruit is soaked with nutrients. Each juicy bite has significant levels of vitamins A, B6 and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids.There's even a modest amount of potassium.

Watermelon -roughly chopped into big chunks -1 cup

Amla-2-3(deseed and cut into small pieces)

Honey(optional)-1 teaspoon

blend first two ingredients and strain it

Add honey and icecubes

Sweet and Tangy cooler ready!

Kozhukkattai

Kozhukkattais
Preparation of Rice Flour for kozhukattais
Soak 2 cups of raw rice(preferably maavarisi)in water for about an hour.Spread the rice on a towel and let the water completely drain.Powder the rice in a mill or in a mixie.Sieve the powder in a fine sieve.

Keep it aside.This rice flour can be used for both vella and uppu kozhukkattais

Preparation of covering for poornams

In a wok add about 2 and quarter cups of water and let it come to a boil.Add a pinch of salt and two ladles of sesame oil.Add rice flour little by little while stirring continuously with other hand.switch off the stove when the rice flour turns color to off white.
Cover the dough with a wet towel and keep aside.Once cool knead the dough well without lumps.

Vella Kozhukkattai

grated coconut-1 cup
jaggery-3/4 cup
cardamom powdered -half teaspoon
ghee-one tbsp

Method

Add grated jaggery and coconut together in a wok in medium flame till the jaggery completely melts and a nice aroma comes.Add cardamom powder and ghee when the mixture turns a litttle thick and can be rolled into balls.

turn off the stove at this stage

Take the prepared dough and roll into an amla sized ball and dipping your fingers in oil flatten it into a "soppu".Iam not an expert in this area so bought a mould this time and it made things pretty easier.
Smear the inside of mould with oil and fill the mould with a small amount of dough and spread the dough inside the mould so as to make room for poornam and place a small urundai of poornam inside and cover it with the dough again.carefully open the mould and perfect shaped kozhukkattais are ready to cook

Place the kozhukkattais on a steamer of idli cooker.Steam cook for five minutes till water drips from the top of  the cooker lid.

Softy yummy kozhukkattais are ready..

Rasmalai

Rasmalai

Milk-Two litres
Lemon juice-1 tbsp
sugar-half cup
saffron strands-a few
cardamom-1/4 tsps
sooji-One spoon
pista,almonds-cut lengthwise
Water


Method
Boil milk in a wide mouth pan stirring till it comes to a complete boil.Add lemon juice while still boiling and turn off the stove.
Keep stirring and then strain the water and seperated chena(paneer)in a muslin cloth.Tie the cloth and hang it for about 15 minutes till all the water drains.


Knead the paneer into soft till your hands become oily and the sough becomes soft.

Add one spoon of sooji(rava)into the mix and knead again.Keep it aside for 10 min.

Take small sized balls(size of an amla)and roll into smooth balls and flatten a little in the middle with your thumb.

In the meantime in a pressure cooker heat two cups of water with 2 tbsps sugar and few strands of saffron.

Place all the flattened discs in the cooker and keep in low flame till one whistle and turn off.

Boil milk in another pan till it reduces to half with a few strands of saffron and two tbsps of sugar(add more if you have a sweet tooth)

Wait till the paneer and the milk cools and place the discs in the lukewarm milk.

Garnish with saffron cut almonds and pistachios.Refrigerate for atleast two hours before serving