URAD DAL /MEDHU VADAI

MEDHU VADAI IS A DEEP FRIED SNACK. POPULARLY KNOWN WITH COMBINATION OF VADAI SAMBAR IN SOUTH INDIA AS BREAKFAST OR TIFFIN WITH IDLI OR DOSAS.

INGREDIENTS

URAD DAL – 2 CUPS

BLACK PEPPERCONS – 2 TSPNS

CURRY LEAVES – 2 TSPNS( CHOPPED)

OIL – TO DEEP FRY

GINGER – SMALL PIECE
Green chilli - 2 nos

SALT

PREPARATION METHOD

SOAK URAD DAL FOR 3 to 4 HRS.

GRIND LIKE THICK BATTER WITHOUT ADDING MUCH WATER WITH GINGER, Green chilli AND SALT.
NOW MIX PEPPER AND CURRY LEAVES TO THE BATTER
KEEP PAN WITH OIL IN OVEN TO DEEP FRY.
IN A BOWL KEEP WATER DIP YOUR HAND AND TAKE BATTER.
ONCE THE OIL IS HOT TAKE LEMON SIZE PORTION OF BATTER AND MAKE A WHOLE AND DROP IN OIL.
DEEP FRY BOTH SIDE UNTIL BROWN

SERVE HOT WITH SAMBAR OR CHUTNEY. YOU CAN SOAK IN CURDS/YOGURT AND HAVE THAYIR VADAI.

NOTES - YOU CAN ALSO ADD LITTLE RICE FLOUR OR A PINCH OF SODA TO THE BATTER.
If you are grinding in mixie do not prepare vadas immediately after grinding. Allow  for 1 to 2 hrs and then prepare it.

Thalicha Idli/Seasoned Idli

Idli is a famous and popular breakfast in South India. Its also good when you are unwell with delicious sambar or chutney.

Ingredients
Idli Batter -  6 Karandi/laddles(Click here for batter recipe)
Salt as required

For seasoning
Oil - 1/2 tspn
Kadugu/Mustard - a pinch
Kadalai Paruppu/Channa Dal - 1/2 tspn
Peringayam/Hing/Asafotida- a pinch
Grated Carrot - 2 tspns
Chopped Kothamalli/Cilantro - 1 tspn(Optional)

Preparation Method
Heat a pan, add oil and season all the ingredients except carrot and mix in the Idli batter.
In the Idli plate, grease it with little Nalla Yennai/gingely oil. Pour little batter and fill carrot and again pour little batter on it.
Make another plate same as above.
You can steam it with Idli cooker or fill 2 cups water in a kadai, keep this two plates and close it with a lid.
Steam it for 12-15mins.
Makes around 8 idlis.
Serves - 1 or 2 pax.

Fluffy Seasoned Idlis are ready. Serve it with Tomato or coconut chutney or sambar or just sugar.

This recipe is going out for Twist the traditional Idli by Satya.

Karthigai/Thiruvannamalai Deepam Appam Pori Recipe!

Karthigai Deepam falls on 1st of December 2009 and is observed by Hindus all over the world and mainly in Tamilnadu, India . Lamps are lit daily for 30 days beginning a grand day on the 1st day. Crackers are burst mostly reserved after Deepavali. People visit Lord Murugan (Son of Lord Shiva) temples and offer pooja. They also visit Vishnu temples and observe Vishnu Deepam is tomorrow celebrated by Iyengars. Day 3 thats day after tomorrow is Kuppa Karthigai were lamp is lit everywhere mainly at entrance of the house.

Thousands of people visit Thiruvannamalai temple to see the Deepam(Lamp) lit in temple which is in Tamilnadu and offer prayers for the well being of families.

House is decorated with decorative lamps and prasadams are offered to god. Pooja is performed in the evening with Pori, Appam and Adai as Neivedyam.

Traditional Festive Food without onion and garlic is prepared includes special Vella Aval Pori Urundai(Sweet Beaten Puffed Rice Balls), Nel Pori Urundai(Puffed Rice Balls made from Paddy), Appam and Adai.

I am giving recipes for Vella Aval Pori Urundai(Sweet Beaten Puffed Rice Balls) and Nel Pori Urundai(Puffed Rice Balls made from Paddy)

I would like to thank my Father and Mother in law for their help in making these.

Vella Aval Pori Urundai and Nel Pori Urundai

Ingredients
Pori - 400 gms
Vellam(Jaggery) - 3 cups(1.5 paavu)
Fresh Coconut - 1 cup(cut into tiny pieces)
Fried Groundnut(Varutha Verkadalai) - 1/2 cup(Optional)
Sukku Podi(Dry ginger powder) - 1/2 tspn
Elakkai Podi(Cardamom powder) - a pinch

Preparation Method

Clean and Seive Pori.

In a kadai, add vellam and sprinkle little water and start dissolving. Once its dissolved filter it since mud particles will be there in vellam.

Then again pour the liquid in the kadai and start boiling it until its 1 string consistency. Keep stirring in low medium flame.(You can also check this by taking little water in a cup and pour a spoon of Jaggery paste (Vella Paggu). If you can make a small ball out of it then its correct consistency (padam)

Now add Dry Ginger Powder, Coconut Pieces, Elaichi (Cardemum) Powder and Groundnut and mix well. Reduce the flame.

Disolving of Jaggery Checking of Padam

In a wide vessel take the pori and slowly add this hot vella paggu. Caution since Paagu is very hot, dont mix with hand. Take a laddle and mix fully once its slightly cool. Start making balls and keep aside.

Repeat the same process for leftover pori too.

This is the same procedure for Nel Pori Urundai also.

Checkout my recipe for 
Adai.
Appam /Nei Appam
Banana Appam
Salt Appam (without onion)

Note - If you cannot make balls take little rice flour(Arasi Maav) apply to your hands and make balls. Sometimes after doing this too you cannot make balls its because of mistake in the Vella Paggu so have as it is....

Happy Karthigai!!!

Traditional Adai!!!

A long time pending in my drafts finally posting this recipe. Enjoy.....

Adai is one other typical South Indian Breakfast/Tiffin item. It is like dosa but different in taste prepared with paruppu(dal).

Ingredients:
· Boiled Rice /Dosai Rice - 2 cups
· Thoor Dhal (Thuvaram Paruppu) - 1/2 cup
· Channa Dhal/Bengal Gram (Kadala Paruppu) - 1 cup
· Urad Dal - 1/2 cup
· Red Chilli Dry - 3 nos
· Curry Leaves - few
· Asafotida (Hing) - 1/4 tspn
· Salt to taste
For Variations
· Chopped Onion
· Black Pepper powder (preferably as grains)
· Sliced Coconut
· Drumstick leaves (Murungai ilai)

Start with:
· Soak rice and dhal in water over night.
· When soft, grind it coarsely with red chillies.
· Though thin paper roast Dosas can be made with the smooth batter, in general the batter for Adai has ingredients not ground nicely. This still gives the nice brown crispy texture.
· Once ground add asafotida & salt and leave the batter to ferment for a while (duration….depending upon the outside temperature)

Consistency: Should be little thicker than the Dosai Batter (Coarse)

Now if you are wondering why Onion, coconut and Murungai Ilai then here you go with the below options:
· At the time of making Adai, you can use one of these as additional ingredient (I repeat only one of these and not all together) to get different flavors to your Adai.
· Another alternate is that, instead of Red Chlli you can use Black Pepper and in that case again sliced Coconut can be added.
· If you are looking at Murungai Ilai, do not add Pepper or Coconut but you may wish to add onion. Try not to add more leaves as some do not like the weired bitter like taste.

Adai can be prepared without any of these extras but if you want your taste buds to try different, then add these ingredients only when you are making the Adai and not before. This helps the basic flavor of the batter remain the same and that the freshness of the additional ingredients.

Preparation:· Add your desired extra toppings and also the curry leaves.
· Heat the pan a little more than medium, season it with half spoon of your preferred oil.
· If your pan is nonstick type, then no need to season it but you can straight away start making Adai.
· Remember that since the batter is not smooth and the consistency is thicker than that of Dosa, this needs to be cooked a little longer than Dosas.

. To make the corners crispy, add little oil to sides. you can also make a little gap at the middle and add little oil to make it crispy too. Turn the adai and cook reverse side.

Serving Options:

· Adai with Avial is the best. For Avial check for recipe just click Aviyal· Adai with butter cube.
· Some people like my husband eat it with Jaggery and thick fresh Yogurt.

Parangikai(Mathan) Poriyal

Parangikai (Mathan) Poriyal - Sweet or Yellow Pumpkin is very colourful. This vegetable curry is very tasty. It is simple and very easy to prepare.

Ingredients
Parangikai - 1/2 no (Sometimes external appearance is in green too)
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Green chilli - 2 nos (as per your taste)
Cooking oil - 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Kadala parap/Uzhatham parap - 1 tspn
Asafotida - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - few
Salt

Preparation Method
Remove skin and seeds of the parangikai. Cut into small cubes.
Heat a kadai, put oil, mustard wait till it splutters. Add asafotida and kadala parap/uzhatham parap saute till brown.
Add the cut parangikai sprinkle little water, salt and cook it.
Grind coconut and green chilli in mixie just one or two whips.(Optional - Chopped Chillies can be separately added with grated coconut without grinding)
Check whether parangikai is cooked soft do not over cook.
Now add curry leaves, coconut and green chilli mixture mix well.
After 5 to 10 mins off the stove.

Parangikai poriyal is ready to serve.

Notes - Cut Parangikai to medium size, cutting very small while cooking it will overcook and become paste.

Chowchow Carrot Kootu

Chowchow is also called Seemakathrika in tamil and Chayote in Spanish is been a routine vegetable in my house. So thought of this kootu with carrot. This combination learnt from my mother in law. Its apopular in Tamilnadu and Kerala.

Ingredients
Chowchow (medium size) - 1no
Carrot - 1 no
Toor dal - 3/4 cup
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Green chilli - 3 nos(as per ur taste)
Jeeragam(Cumin) - 1 tspn
Curry leaves - 1o nos
Salt
For seasoning
Oil - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Coconut oil - 1 tspn
Preparation Method
Cook toor dal in pressure cooker and keep aside.
Wash and cut chowchow and carrot into small cubes.
In a vessel add this vegetables with little water, salt and turmeric allow it to cook.
Grind coconut, green chilli and jeeragam to a fine paste
Once chowchow and carrot is cooked add this mixture and allow it to boil.
Add curry leaves and salt.
Then add toor dal and mix well.
Season it with oil, mustard and urad dal.
Add coconut oil and mix well.


Delicious Chowchow kootu is ready to eat. This can be had with rice or chapathis.

Maaladu(Besan laddu) - Recipe

Maaladu is a very tasty and easy sweet prepared with fried gram flour, powdered sugar and ghee. It is prepared on many auspicious occasions. Famous in Tamilnadu, India.

Ingredients

Potukadalai maav(Fried gram flour/Besan) - 2 cups

Sugar (powdered) - 1 1/2 cup(according to ur taste)

Elakka powder(Cardamom powder ) - 1 tspn

Ghee - 1 cup

Milk - 2-3tblspns (optional)

Preparation method

For Sugar powder - take 1 1/2 cups of sugar and powder it in mixie finely with cardamom.

In a kadai put potukadalai maav, sugar powder and elakka powder mix well.

In a pan heat the ghee in low flame and add to this mixture little by little and make lemon size balls carefully.

If you do not wish to add more ghee you can add little ghee and little milk and make balls. If you do with milk it has to consumed soon cannot be stored for long.

For garnishing you can press small piece of badam or cashew(optional).

Easy and tasty Maaladu is ready to serve.

Rice Adai(Dosa)

It is called Verum Arasi Adai in tamil. A different in taste. This is simple, tasty and easy to prepare.

Ingredients
Boiled rice - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Salt

Method
Soak boiled rice in water for 6 - 8 hours
Grind in mixie with grated coconut to smooth paste
Add salt and leave for 3-4 hrs for fermentation
Then pour batter on skillet like dosa
Cook on reverse side also.

Rice Adai is ready to serve. This can be served with coconut chutney or onion chutney.

PS - If batter is leftover can be kept in fridge and used.

Beans Poriyal (Curry)

Beans poriyal(Curry) is a side dish cooked under low flame with coconut. It can be prepared easily on any day or for any occasion. It is very tasteful. This is mostly prepared for festivals and marraiges.

 

Ingredients

Beans - 250 gms
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Bengal gram - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1 tspn
Asafotida(hing) - 1 pinch
Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
Sugar - 1 tspn
Green chilli - 2nos
Curry leaves - 6 nos
Oil - 2tspns
Salt to taste

Preparation Method Wash, clean and pat dry beans.
Chop it into small pieces.
Heat a pan, put oil add mustard once it splutters add asafotida
Add Bengal gram and wait till its brown
Add the chopped beans
Add little water for it to cook
Add curry leaves
Add sugar (Sugar is added for not changing the colour of the vegetable while cooking) Add salt and turmeric Grind in mixie grated coconut with green chillies
Cook under low flame once its cooked with no water left add grinded coconut
Mix well and cook for 5mins.
Now its ready to serve.

Its a good combination for Sambar and rasam rice.