Tiffin Sambar

Tiffin sambar mainly differs from other sambars in the use of Tamarind and masala.  No tamarind should be added to this Tiffin sambar because sourness in tomatoes would be sufficient to give the desired taste.  The recipe follows.

Recipe For :2

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Toor Dal              - 1 cup
Big Onion            - 1
Tomato                - 1
Carrot                  - 1 (Medium Size)
DrumStick           - 1
Mustard Seeds     - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal              - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds  - 1/2 tsp
Green Chili          - 1
Curry Leaves       - few
Coriander Leaves - few
Turmeric Powder  - 1/4 tsp
Salt                        - As required
Asafoetida             - a pinch (Hing /Perungayam)
Oil                         - 1 tbsp

To Grind:

Tomato                 - 1
Dry Red Chili       - 2
Coriander Seeds   - 1/4 tsp (Malli)
Fried Gram           - 1/2 tsp (Pori Kadalai)
Grated Coconut    - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

• Cook well Toor Dal with a pinch of asafoetida, turmeric powder and a tsp of Gingely Oil.
• Chop Big onion Lengthwise. Slit Green Chili. Chop  carrot and drumstick into bigger size pieces. You can also use any other vegetables. Chop finely one tomato.
• Dry roast Dry red chili, Coriander seeds and grated Coconut. Grind it with another tomato and fried gram.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, Urad dal and Fenugreek seeds to it.
• When they splutter add asafoetida. Add also chopped onions and curry leaves.
• When they turn translucent, add chopped vegetables.
• Saute it for some time and then add chopped tomatoes.
• Cover with a lid and cook it. When the vegetables are half done, add enough salt, turmeric powder and ground masala.
•  Saute till raw flavor goes off and after that add it to cooked dal. Add enough water and cook everything for a whistle.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy with Idli or Dosai of your choice.

Chicken Kuzhambu For Idli

Idli and Chicken Kuzhambu always make a perfect combo!!! This chicken kuzhambu is prepared specially to have with Idli..  Give a try to this Chicken Kuzhambu and hot steaming Idli  combo once and you will surely fall for it. 

Recipe For : 2

Preparation Time : 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Chicken                     - 1/2 kg
Cinnamon Stick        - 1
Fennel Seeds             - 1/2 tsp (Perunseeragam / Sombu)
Big Onion                  - 2
Green Chili                - 2
Tomato                      - 2
Ginger-Garlic Paste   - 2 tsp
Salt                             - As required
Turmeric Powder       - 1/2 tsp
Chili Powder              - 2 tsp
Curry Leaves               - few
Oil                               - 3 tbsp

To Dry Roast And Powder:

Dry Red Chili       - 3
Coriander Seeds    - 1/2 tsp (Malli)
Black Pepper         - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds         - 1/2 tsp (Seeragam)
Fennel Seeds         - 1/4 tsp (Perunseeragam / Sombu)
Fenugreek Seeds   - 1/4 tsp (Vendhayam)

To Dry Roast And Grind:

Grated Coconut     - 1/4 cup
Fennel Seeds         - 1/4 tsp

Procedure:

• Dry roast and powder everything under ' To Dry Roast And Powder'. Dry roast and grind everything under 'To Dry Roast And Grind' adding little water. Wash chicken well. Marinate it with ground powder, ground masala, enough salt, half ginger-garlic paste, a pinch turmeric powder for at-least an hour.
• Chop finely Big onion and tomato. Slit green chili.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add cinnamon stick and fennel seeds to it. 
• After a minute, add chopped onions, slit green chili and curry leaves to it.
• After the onions turn translucent, add remaining ginger-garlic paste.
• Saute till raw flavor goes off, and after that add chopped tomatoes.
• After both onions and tomatoes are cooked completely, add marinated chicken.
• Add also needed salt, turmeric powder and chili powder.
• Cover with a lid and cook the gravy. You can see chicken slowly oozing out water.
• Stir in between to prevent chicken from getting burnt. Cook till chicken is cooked completely.
• It makes the perfect side dish for Idli. It also tastes good with rice.  

Birthday Celebration

Its a special day for us; our kid turned five today. We hosted a small party at home to celebrate his birthday. We invited around 20 of our friends and their kids. Really felt happy to cook for my beloved friends. Today's post is all about the party menu and the best part is all the recipes are already in blog.. Check it out!!

White Forest Cake  - I had given recipe for 1 cup of flour whereas i prepared with 4 cups of flour.

Pulkha Roti        - Want to know how to prepare soft chapathi?? Click the link.. These rotis stayed very soft throughout the party

Navarathna Kuruma       -  Very healthy and best  vegetarian side dish for chapathi/ Roti

Mee Goreng        - This is Malaysian style  noodles.  It literally means fried noodles. One of the easiest and tastiest noodles.

Vegetable Dum Briyani   -  Vegetables are cooked with spices and masala. Rice is cooked separately. Then both are put 'Dum' together. I served it with Onion Raita

Malligai Poo Idli          - This Idli was the Show stopper. Everyone appreciated the softness of this Idli.. It was really soft.. Most of them asked for the recipe and tried it too.

Varuthu Aracha Sambar     - Very much flavorful sambar which is prepared with freshly roasted and ground spices.

Coconut Chutney       - Chutney prepared with coconut and fried gram

Curd Rice            - A trick for preparing curd rice. Add lot of milk and just few drops of curd.

Ice cream with Fruit Salad  - I added cut fruits like apple, banana, grapes and pineapple to homemade Icecream

P.S : Write back to me for party menu ideas!!

Karuveppilai Dosai (Curry Leaves Dosai)

This is one of the best ways to get full nutrients from curry leaves. Fresh curry leaves are ground with rice, dal and spices. Another tasty dish with healthy Curry leaves is being added to our blog list along with our Curry Leaves Kuzhambu , Curry Leaves Chutney, and Curry Leaves Rice. 

Here you go!!!

Yields : Around 25 Dosai

Ingredients:

Idli Rice                   - 1 cup
Raw Rice                 - 1/2 cup
Urad Dal                  - 1/2 cup
Toor Dal                  - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds     - 2 tsp
Curry Leaves           - 1 cup (tightly packed)
Small Onion             - 6
Dry Red Chili           - 3
Cumin Seeds             - 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

• Soak Idli rice, raw rice, toor dal, urad dal and fenugreek seeds  together for 3 hours. Peel small onion. Wash curry leaves.
• Take a Mixer-Grinder. Add small onions, dry red chili, cumin seeds, washed curry leaves and soaked rice-dal to it. Grind it to a smooth batter. Add enough salt and let the batter ferment over night .
• In the morning heat a dosai pan. Add batter to it and expand it. After its done on one side, slowly turn it to the other side. Serve the dosai hot, after its done on both the sides.
• Enjoy with Sambar and Chutney of your choice.

Khaman Dhokla

Today's recipe is authentic and tasty Khaman Dhokla recipe. You can prepare it in 30 minutes.  Just mix all the ingredients and steam it. The recipe follows..

Recipe For : 2

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Besan Flour           - 1.5 cups (Kadalai Maavu)
Chopped Ginger    - 2 tsp
Green Chili            - 2
Lemon                   - 1
Baking Soda          - 3/4 tsp
Asafoetida             - a pinch
Turmeric Powder  - 1/4 tsp
Salt                        - As required

For Tampering Dhoklas:

Mustard Seeds    - 1/4 tsp
Green Chili         - 2
Lemon                 - 1/2
Coriander Leaves- few
Curry Leaves       - few
Sugar                    - a pinch
Salt                       - As required
Water                   - 1/4 cup
Oil                        - 2 tsp

Procedure:

• Grind Ginger and Green chilies together. Extract juice from lemon. Take a bowl. Add besan flour, ginger-chili paste, baking soda, salt, asafoetida, lemon juice and turmeric powder to it. Mix everything well.
• Add water and start preparing the batter. The batter should be of idli batter consistency.Add water accordingly. You can also use Eno fruit salt instead of Baking soda. If using eno, use 1 tsp of it. Once the batter is ready, it should be steamed immediately.
• Take a deep pan. I used cake pan for this. Place Banana leaf in the pan and add batter to it. steam it for about 20 minutes. You can also use Baking Paper instead or you can grease the pan very well with Oil. You can check whether the Dhokla is cooked  by inserting a tooth pick in the Dhokla. Steam Dhoklas in high flame for first 5 minutes and then steam it in medium flame for remaining time.
• Take another bowl. Add water,lemon juice, salt,sugar , coriander leaves and curry leaves to it. Saute Mustard seeds and Green chili in oil and add it to the bowl .Now tampering for our Dhokla is ready.
• After Dhokla is cooked, cut into shape you wish. Add the seasoning water over Dhokla. I used to have Dhoklas with Garlic Chutney.
• Enjoy Dhoklas hot!!!

Kambu Dosai (Bajra Dosai or Pearl Millet Dosai)

Today's recipe is crispy, tasty and healthy Kambu Dosai. Instead of preparing dosai with Kambu Maavu (Bajra flour/ Pearl Millet flour), this method uses whole kambu in the preparation and hence it results in very much crispier dosai.. Kambu is soaked with rice and dal and it is ground to a batter along with spices.  The recipe follows..

Yields : Around 40 Dosai

Preparation Time : 15 minutes + soaking time +Grinding Time

Ingredients:

Kambu                    - 2 cup (Bajra or Pearl Millet)
Idli Rice                   - 1 cup (Idli Arisi)
Urad Dal                  - 1/4 cup (UlundamParupu)
Fenugreek Seeds  - 1 tsp (vendhayam)
Small Onion            - 6 to 8
Red Chili                  - 4
Cumin Seeds           - 1 tsp (Seeragam)
Curry Leaves            - few
Salt                             -  As required
Gingely Oil                - For Dosai

Procedure:

• Peel small onion.
• Soak Kambu, Idli Rice, Urad Dal and Fenugreek seeds together for 2 to 3 hours. 
• After that, take a blender. Grind small onions, Red chili and Cumin seeds for a while and after that add everything which we soaked before to blender. Add also enough salt. Grind everything together. Now our Dosai batter is ready. Let the batter ferment overnight.
• In the morning heat the Dosai pan. Grease it with gingelly oil. Add the batter to the pan and expand it. Apply oil to it.. Once both sides are done, remove from the pan and serve it!!!
• Serve it hot with sambar and Chutney of your choice. I served it with 

Idiyappam

Today's recipe is specially for kitchen beginners, Basic Idiyappam recipe. Softness and taste of Idiyappam depends only on the rice flour which we are using. Click this for Idiyappam flour preparation, How to prepare Idiyappam flour?.

You can prepare healthy, tasty Idiyappam in less than 20 minutes. The recipe follows..

Yields : Around 8 Idiyappam

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Rice Flour          - 1 cup

Salt                    - As required

Water                 - As required

Procedure:

• Take rice flour in a bowl. Boil 3/4th cup of water in a pan. Add needed salt for flour to it. When the water is hot, add it to the flour and mix it with a ladle. After it has cooled down, bind it to a soft dough with your hands. Add water while kneading if needed. 
• Take a muruku press with Idiyappam holes plate. Add dough to the press and Start pressing the dough. 
• If the idiyappam strings are breaking , it means dough needs some water. So add water to the dough and bind again.
• If the idiyappam strings are not coming in perfect shape, it means more water has been added to the dough. So add some more flour and bind again.
• Press it on Greased Idli plates..
• Steam it for about 10 minutes.
• Serve it hot with Coconut Milk or Vegetable Stew.

Chola Dosai (Jowar Dosai)

Cholam (Jowar)  crop requires only one fourth of the water required by rice crop and half of the water required by wheat crop. So when you are eating Cholam, you are also doing good to the planet..

Cholam is rich in Phosphorus which is essential for the development of bones. It also helps to burn fat and sugar, hence it helps in good functioning of heart and kidneys.

Today's recipe is tasty Dosai recipe with  healthy Cholam.. The recipe follows..

Yields : 25 Dosai

Preparation Time : 5 minutes + Time for Grinding and Fermentation

Ingredients:

Cholam              - 1 cup  (Jowar)

Idli Rice              - 1 cup

Urad Dal             - 1/2 cup

Toor Dal             - 1 tsp

Channa Dal         - 1 tsp

Salt                      - As required

Gingely Oil         - As required

Procedure:

• Soak Cholam,,idli rice,urad dal, toor dal and channa dal for atleast 4 - 5 hrs.
• Then grind it along with salt. Let the batter ferment overnight or at-least for 8 hours.
• After batter has fermented, Heat a dosai pan.. Grease it with oil.. add the batter to the pan and expand it like Dosai.. Apply oil to it.. Once both sides are done, remove from the flame and serve it!!!
• Serve it hot with sambar and Chutney of your choice.

Rice Flour For Kozhukattai / Idiyappam

Vinayagar Chathurthi is around the corner.. Hws preparations going on??? Have you prepared Rice flour for kozhukattai?? Yes!! Kozhukattai rice flour is different from that of Muruku, seedai rice flour. This post gives an insight on two types of rice flour. You can easily prepare both rice flours at home, where ever you are and what ever your weather is!!

For preparing rice flour for Idiyappam/Kozhukattai, etc:

• Soak Raw Rice (Pacharisi) in enough water for 10 minutes. 
• Drain excess water and hang it in a Muslin cloth for 1 to 2 hours. This is done to absorb excess water from rice.
• Grind it to a powder. You can use even Mixer-Grinder to grind the rice. 
• Sieve the flour well.
• Place the flour in a cloth,close it and steam it in a Idli -plate for 10 minutes.
• Let the flour cool in shades and use accordingly.

Foods taste ultimate, when all the ingredients are homemade.. Start preparing Rice flour for  preparing authentic, hygienic and tasty Kozhukattai..

Pasi Payaru Idli (Green Gram Idli)

Today's recipe is an exciting Idli recipe with Pasi Payaru (Green Gram). Another way to include pasi payaru in our diet rather than sundal.

Pasi payaru is loaded fully with Goodies. It really helps to lower blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels. And one more good news is that, it really helps to shed weight. Interesting isn't it?? I have added grated carrots also to these pasi payaru idlis , hence making it much more healthier..

Such recipe follows..

Yields : Around 35 Idlis

Preparation Time : 10 minutes +Soaking Time+ Grinding Time + Fermenting Time

Ingredients:

Green Gram             - 3 cups (Pasi Payaru)
Urad Dal                  - 1 cup
Mustard Seeds         - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal                  - 1/2 tsp
Channa Dal              - 1/2 tsp
Chopped Ginger      - 2 tsp
Green Chili              - 2
Carrot                       - 2
Curry Leaves            - few
Salt                            - As required
Oil                             - For seasoning

Procedure:

• Soak Green gram and Urad dal togther for 2 - 3 hours. After that grind them together along with enough salt. Let the batter ferment over night.
• In the morning, finely chop ginger ,green chili and curry leaves. Grate carrots. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal to it. When they splutter add grated carrots, chopped ginger, green chili and curry leaves to it.
• Saute for 2 -3 minutes, so that its cooked and after that add it to the batter. Add some more salt for carrots. Mix everything well.
• Grease the Idli plates. Steam Idlis for 10 minutes. Enjoy your hot steaming Pasi Payaru idlis with Sambar and Chutney of your choice.

Idli Podi

When ever i want to treat myself a toothsome and yet easy breakfast , its always Variety Dosais. Within a few minutes i can enjoy my treat. This is the best thing about having variety dosais for breakfast. 

Out of those dosais, my favourite is Podi Dosai. Corasely ground Idli podi is sprinkled over Uthapam style Dosai. Have you ever tried adding Idli podi to Onion uthapam??? You will surely love its taste. 

Here is such fascinating Idli podi recipe..

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Urad Dal                        - 1/2 cup (Ulundam Parupu)
Channa Dal                    - 1/4 cup (Kadalai Parupu)
Dry Red Chili                - 20 (Milagai Vathal)
White Sesame Seeds      - 1 tsp (Vellai Ellu)
Asafoetida                      - 1/4 tsp (Perungayam)
Grated Coconut              - 1 tbsp
Salt                                 - As required
Oil                                   - 2 tsp

Procedure:

• Roast everything except coconut in oil.
• Roast separately coconut in oil.  Wait till both cools off.
• Take a blender. Grind Dry red chili and salt for a while and then grind  coarsely remaining other things. Grinding podi coarsely gives nice texture to podi. Your Idli podi is ready!!

Thinai Arisi Dosai (Foxtail Millet Dosai)

I have been receiving a number of queries from our Blog followers regarding Millet recipes. I am hearing that Many of their family members didn't prefer to eat millets and they requested me to help on it. The basic reason why most of the people don't like  Millets is because of its peculiar taste; I would suggest to include the millets  in the form of  Dosai, Idli , Uthapam or Paniyaram instead of preparing pongal or variety rice with it.  This method has worked for us and I bet your family members too will  love it.

Last week i had prepared Batter for Rice Idli ; The batter looked very odd and whitish to me. I was worried what went wrong and suddenly it came to my mind that its been a long time I had prepared Rice Idli batter. Since everyone in our home including my kid started liking millets, I never thought  of Rice Idli or Dosai. Millets Idli and Dosai have replaced our Rice Idli and Dosai Try this method... It is one of the best ways to include millets in your diet.

Today's recipe is tasty Thinai Arisi Dosai..

Yields : 25 Dosai

Preparation Time : 5 minutes + Time for Grinding and Fermentation

Ingredients:

Thinai Arisi        - 1 cup  (Foxtail Millet)

Idli Rice              - 1 cup

Urad Dal             - 1/2 cup

Toor Dal             - 1 tsp

Channa Dal         - 1 tsp

Salt                      - As required

Gingely Oil         - As required

Procedure:

• Soak Thinai arisi,idli rice,urad dal, toor dal and channa dal for atleast 4 - 5 hrs.
• Then grind it along with salt. Let the batter ferment overnight or at-least for 8 hours.
• After batter has fermented, Heat a dosai pan.. Grease it with oil.. add the batter to the pan and expand it like Dosai.. Apply oil to it.. Once both sides are done, remove from the flame and serve it!!!
• Serve it hot with sambar and Chutney of your choice.
• I served it with Tomato Thokku.

Vazhai Poo Parupu Usili

We very well know the health benefits of  Vazhai Poo (Banana Flower).  Today's recipe is Vazhai poo parupu usili, which goes well with Puli kuzhambu / Kara Kuzambu. Though the dish preparation requires some time, its worth doing it. Toor Dal and Channa Dal are soaked together and they are ground together to a batter. Later which is steamed and added to cooked Vazhai poo.  A tasty dish which is very healthy too. You can check my other posts on vazhai poo here. Vazhai Poo Kuzhambu , Vazhai Poo Kola Urundai.

Interesting Vazhai Poo parupu usili recipe follows..

Recipe For : 2

Preparation Time : 20 minutes + soaking time & grinding time

Ingredients:

Vazhai Poo                - 2 handsful (Banana Flower)
Toor dal                     - a handful (Thuvaram Parupu)
Channa Dal                - a handful (Kadalai Parupu)
Red Chili                   - 2
Salt                            - As required
Turmeric Powder      - a pinch
Mustard Seeds          - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida                - a pinch
Curry Leaves           - few
Oil                            - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

• Wash and Chop Vazhai poo. Don't' chop it finely. Wash and Soak Toor Dal and Channa Dal for 2 hours. After that grind them together into a smooth batter along with salt and red chili.
• Take a sauce pan. Add chopped Vazhai poo ,enough salt and turmeric powder to it. Add very little water just to immerse vazhai poo and cook it until its soft.
• Now steam dal batter in an Idli plate for 10 minutes. After steaming it crumble it with your hands or using a Blender.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds to it. When they splutter, add hing and curry leaves to it.
• Add crumbled dal to the pan. Add also cooked Vazhaipoo.
• Mix everything well and switch off the flame in another 2 minutes.
• Enjoy your vazhai poo parupu usili with Kulambu of your choice.

Carrot Dosai

Today's recipe is kids friendly, healthy and tasty Carrot Dosai.. You needn't worry about kids not eating carrots any more.. And this Dosai batter doesn't need any fermentation. You need time just for soaking Rice and Dal. Here comes that exciting recipe..

Yields : Around 15 Dosai

Preparation Time : 15 minutes + 2 hours soaking time

Ingredients:

Idli Rice        - 1 cup (Idli Arisi)
Raw Rice      - 1/2 cup (Pacharisi)
Toor Dal       - 1/4 cup (Thuvaram Parupu)
Channa Dal   - 1 tbsp (Kadalai Parupu)
Carrot            - 2
Red Chili       - 3
Black Pepper - 6 to 8 (Milagu)
Cumin Seeds  - 1/2 tsp (Seeragam)
Garlic pods     - 4
Big Onion       - 2

Procedure:

• Grate carrots. Chop finely Big onion.
• Soak Idli Rice, Raw Rice, Toor Dal and channa Dal together for 2 to 3 hours. 
• After that, take a blender. Grind Red chili, Black Pepper, Cumin seeds and Garlic pods for a while and after that add everything which we soaked before to blender. Add also grated carrots and enough salt. Grind everything together. Now our Dosai batter is ready.
• Heat the Dosai pan. Grease it with gingelly oil. Add the batter to the pan and expand it. Apply oil to it.. Once both sides are done, remove from the flame and serve it!!!
• Serve it hot with sambar and Chutney of your choice.
• I served it with Mint Tomato chutney.

Sooji Dhokla (Rava Dhokla)

This Dhokla recipe uses Rava for variation. I used to prepare this for dinner. It tastes so good with spicy chutneys. We had it with Garlic Chutney. Give a try to this Rava Dhokla once,when you are about to prepare Rava Idli...Both uses more or less same ingredients only..

The recipe follows..

Recipe For : 2

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Sooji                     - 1 cup (Rava)
Yogurt                  - 1 cup (Curd)
Water                    - 1 cup
Chopped Ginger   - 1 tsp
Baking Soda         - 1 tsp
Salt                       - As required

For Tampering Dhoklas:

Mustard Seeds    - 1/4 tsp
Green Chili         - 2
Lemon                 - 1/2
Coriander Leaves- few
Curry Leaves       - few
Sugar                    - a pinch
Salt                       - As required
Water                   - 1/4 cup
Oil                        - 2 tsp

Procedure:

• Take a bowl, Add Rava, yogurt and water to it. Add also Baking soda, chopped Ginger, enough salt and mix everything well. Set it aside for 30 minutes. You can also use Eno salt instead of Baking soda. It is added to make Dhoklas fluff.
• Take another bowl. Add water,lemon juice, salt,sugar , coriander leaves and curry leaves to it. Saute Mustard seeds and Green chili in oil and add it to the bowl .Now tampering for our Dhokla is ready.
• After 30 minutes, take a deep pan. I used cake pan for this. Place Banana leaf in the pan and add batter to it. steam it for about 20 minutes. You can also use Baking Paper instead or you can grease the pan very well with Oil. You can check whether its cooked  by inserting a tooth pick in the Dhokla. Steam Dhoklas in high flame for first 5 minutes and then steam it in medium flame for remaining time.
• After Dhokla is cooked, cut into shape you wish. Add the seasoning water over Dhokla.
• Enjoy Dhoklas hot!!!

Garlic Chutney

This is the spiciest chutney which goes well with Idli , Uthapam And Dhokla. The recipe follows..

Recipe For : 2

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Garlic Pods        - 1/4 cup

Red Chili           - 3

Urad Dal            - 1 tsp

Tamarind           - 1 tsp

Salt                    - As required

Oil                     - 1 tsp

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add Urad Dal and Red chili to it,
• When they turn golden brown add Garlic pods. Saute till its cooked.
• After its cooked, Switch off the flame and add Tamarind. After it is cooled down, grind everything along with salt.
• Enjoy your spicy chutney!!

Kara Vadai

This is our native special vadai.. There are two types of Kara vadai. One is prepared using Gram Flour, onion and spices powder and another one is prepared with Rice , Lentils and spices batter.. This recipe uses second method.

A Very much flavourful, crispy and tasty vadai.. Here goes the recipe..

Yields : around 25 vadai

Preparation Time : 15 minutes + Time for soaking & Grinding

Ingredients:

Channa Dal          - 1 cup (Kadalai Parupu)
Raw Rice             - 1/2 cup (Paccharisi)
Idli Rice               - 1/2 cup (Idli Arisi)
Urad Dal              - 1/2 cup (Uluntham Parupu)
Red Chili             - 3
Garlic Pods          - 5
Big Onion            - 1 (big)
Curry Leaves       - few
Salt                       - As required
Oil                        - for deep frying

Procedure:

• Wash and soak Channa Dal, Urad Dal, Raw Rice and Idli Rice together for 2 hours.
• After that, grind them to a smooth batter along with Red Chilies and Garlic. Be careful, when you grind the batter. Don't add too much water as vadai will absorb more oil if the batter is watery.
• Chop Big onion and crush curry leaves. Add it to the batter, Add also enough salt and mix the batter well.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, take the batter in a small laddle and add to it.
• When the vadai is cooked on one side, slowly turn it to the other side.
• Take out the vadai, after its done on both the sides. Drain excess oil and serve the vadai hot.

Seppan Kizhangu Varuval (Taro root Shallow fry)

This is my mom's special recipe.. She used to prepare this often, when we were kids. She used to deep fry, boiled seppan kizhangu in oil. After that she will toss it with some salt and chili powder. Very simple isn't it?? But it will be very much tasty too..

 In order to make this recipe healthy, after boiling seppankizhangu i am sauteing it in less oil with added spices.. By doing so we can enjoy seppankizhangu varuval in a healthier way.. And I always steam the kizhangu instead of boiling to prevent nutrients loss.

And one more thing about seppan kizhangu is that it possess more calories than that of potato itself. So its better not to include it in our diet often.. We can have it during celebrations...

Here is seppan kizhangu roast in healthier way..

Recipe For: 2

Preparation Time : 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Seppan Kizhangu           - 250 gm (Taro Root)
Salt                                 - As required
Turmeric Powder           - a pinch
Chili Powder                  - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder               - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala Powder  - 1/4 tsp
Oil                                  - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

• Boil seppan kizhangu. Add enough water, just to soak it and cook for 5 continuous whistles. You can also steam seppan kizhangu in Idli plate for about 15 minutes.
• After boiling or steaming, remove the skin and chop it into two if its big.
• Heat oil in a pan. I would suggest a Non- Stick pan. since it helps to get seppan kizhangu roasted, without adding much oil.
• When the oil is hot, add chopped seppan kizhangu to the pan. Add also salt, turmeric powder and chili powder. Toss it well so that masala sticks well on to it.
• Cover with a lid and cook it in low flame. Saute till it gets roasted. Toss in between to prevent it from getting burnt.
• After its roasted well, switch off the flame and add Garam Masala Powder . Enjoy your seppan kizhangu varuval!!!

Varagu Arisi Idli (Kodo Millet Idli)

Idli has always been one of the best Breakfast recipes... Just give a try to this Varagu Arisi Idli, instead of regular Idli. Similar to regular idli, this idli will also be very soft. Have this Varagu Idli with Sambar and chutney for a complete Breakfast.

Varagu Arisi is fully loaded with vitamins and minerals and its gluten free too.. It helps with lowering Blood Sugar level and Cholesterol..

Eating healthy food, really protects us from illness. The recipe follows..

Yields       : 25 idlis

Preparation Time : 15 minutes + time for Grinding & Fermentation

Ingredients:

Varagu Arisi            - 3 cups (Kodo Millet)
Urad Dal                  - 3/4 cup
Fenugreek Seeds      - 2 tsp
salt                            - As required

Procedure:

1. Soak Varagu Arisi and Fenugreek seeds for atleast 3 hours. Soak Urad Dal separately for an hour.
2. Grind separately varagu arisi  and Urad Dal.
3. Mix both well and add also enough salt.
4. Let it ferment for 1 whole night.
5. The next morning, Grease the idli plates.. Pour in batter and steam idlis.
6. Enjoy your hot steaming Idlis with Chutney Of Your Choice.

Dry Aloo - Matar Curry (Urulai Pattani Poriyal)

Want a perfect side dish for Vegetable Pulao?? I bet this curry would be the best. The spiciness of the curry makes it the perfect match for Less spicy Pulao..  Give this curry a try next time when you are preparing Pulao...

Here is the recipe..

Recipe For : 1

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Potato                             - 1 (medium size)

Fresh Peas                      - a handful

Big Onion                      - 1 (small size)

Chopped Ginger            - 2 tsp

Cumin Seeds                 - 1/4 tsp

Salt                                - As required

Turmeric Powder          - 1/4 tsp

Chili Powder                 - 1/2 tsp

Coriander Powder         - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder  - 1/4 tsp

Oil                                  - 1 tbsp

Coriander Leaves           - for garnishing

Procedure:

• Boil Peas. Steam Potato. I don't prefer boiling potato in water since all its nutrients will be lost in the water. Steaming potato in  a Idli pot, helps to retain its nutrients. After steaming the potato, cut it into medium cube size pieces.
• Finely chop Big onion, Ginger and Coriander leaves.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds to it. When they crackle, add chopped onion and  Ginger to it. 
• After the onions are translucent, add boiled potato cut into cubes and peas to it.
• Add salt and all powders except Garam Masala Powder to the pan and toss the vegetables well for perfect blending of spices.
• Switch off the flame after the spices get mixed up well with vegetables.
• Add Garm Masala Powder at-last. Adding Garam Masala at-last after switching off the flame, helps the dish to retain Garam Masala flavor for a long time.
• Enjoy your Aloo-Matar curry...