French Fries - Finger chips

French Fries(Papa Fritas) is one of my all time favourite snack. I know its most likeable snack of kids too...

Wash Potatoes remove skin and cut into thin strips. Keep it on a clean cloth and remove excess water.

Heat oil in a kadai, drop these potato strips when the oil is very hot. Leave it till its slightly brown and then remove.

Sprinkle salt on the potatoes.

Serve hot with Tomato ketchup.

This French Fries recipe is going for Fried Snack Event by Easy Crafts.

Pudina Chutney-2

Ingredients

Pudina - 1 bunch(Mint leaves)

Urad dal - 2 tspns

Tamarind - 1 small piece

Green chilli - 2nos(As per your taste)

Cooking oil - 2 tspns

Salt

Preparation Method

Wash and clean pudina leaves.

Heat a kadai, add oil and urad dal. Fry till its brown. then add green chilli, tamarind, pudina and fry till its soft.

Then grind in mixie with salt to a coarse paste.

It can be served with Dosas and Idlis.

Raitha

Raitha is very simple and easy. This is very tasty and healthy.

Ingredients
Onion - 1/2 no
Tomato - 1/2 no
Cucumber - 1/2 no
Thick curds - 2 cups(Thair/Dahi/Plain Yogurt)
Ginger - a very small piece
Pepper powder - a pinch
Green chilli - 1/2 no - as per your taste
Green coriander leaves - 2 tspns(Kothamalli/Cilantro)
Salt

Preparation Method

Wash and chop finely onion, tomato, cucumber, ginger, green chilli and coriander leaves.

In a bowl, mix all the above with curd, salt, pepper powder.

Raitha is ready to serve.

Pictures courtesy - My husband

Notes - If you are preparing in more quantity can increase the ingredients accordingly.

Chilled Idlis

Idli is one of the famous and popular dish in India and abroad. Many people's favourite and not favourite for some too...

Its different and with little variation to eat Idlis soaked in fresh thick yogurt...

Ingredients

Idlis - 10nos (It can be homemade or ready to eat)
I have used mini idlis which I made for my son and was leftover.
Thick Yogurt(Thair/Curds) - 1 cup

For tempering/seasoning
Cooking oil - 2 tspns
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Bengal Gram/Urad Dal - 1/2 tspn
Jeera(Cumin seeds)- 1 tspn
Curry leaves - few
Asafotida(Hing) - a pinch
Chopped Green chilli - 1no(optional)
Salt to taste

Preparation Method
Cut Idlis in 2 (mini idlis) or 6 (normal idlis) as desired.
In a kadai, put oil mustard wait till it splutters. Then add asafotida and dals. Wait till its brown. Now add jeera, curry leaves and green chilli. Saute for a minute.
Slowly add yogurt and keep stirring. After a minute add chopped idlis and salt mix well. Remove from the stove.

Allow it to cool and keep in fridge for 1 to 2 hours. If you do not want to refrigerate you can keep for about half n hour so the yogurt is absorbed and serve.

Remove from the fridge stir once, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and Serve.

Chilled Idlis are ready to eat. This can be done with leftover idlis too. Bachelor's you can try this easy and simple recipe.

This recipe is going for Show me your Breakfast by Divya Vikram.

Masala Dosa with Batter recipe!

Dosa (Lenthil and Rice Crepes) is very famous Breakfast/tiffin in South India. Its popular not only among Indians but also liked by many foreigners too... When I was in Panama this was one of the favourite of Panamanians they love to eat Indian food... This is my favourite too and I love making dosas.....

Ingredients

Dosa Rice or Boiled Rice - 3 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Bengal Gram(Channa Dal) - 1/4 cup
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Rice flakes(Aval/Poha) - 2 tblspns
Fenugreek seeds(Venthayam/Methi seeds) - 1/2 tspn

Preparation Method

Wash and soak the above ingredients for about 5-6 hours in water and then grind to a fine paste.
Dosa Batter (Dosa Maav) has to be fermented for overnite or for about 4-5 hours.
While grinding do not add more water. Consistency should not be very thick and not very thin. It should be medium so its easy to spread on skillet(tawa/dosa kal)
Then Heat a pan either non stick or normal one.
Heat the pan in medium or low flame and spread batter slowly thick and thin. Put one tspn oil and close with a lid.
Check whether its well cooked thats it will be brown and crisp on the thin spread and dull white on think spread.

Masala dosa is always cooked one side (sometimes I slightly cook on the other side) Reduce flame. Place Aloo masala in the centre and close the dosa. (checkout the photos below)
You can even spread onion, garlic and red chilli chutney and put aloo masala.

Masala Dosa is ready to serve. It can be served with Coconut chtney / Sambar.

This Masala Dosa recipe is going for Dosa Corner Event hosted by Padma's Recipes and Show me your Breakfast by Divya Vikram.

Tips -
Heat the pan always in medium or low flame spread batter and then increase flame.

You can rub the pan with sliced onion.

Always make first dosa very small and then later dosas can be made big. Sometimes batter will stick.

When kept in fridge, keep the batter outside about 1/2 hour before making dosas, If the batter is chill then also you cannot spread the batter easily.

If you do not have so much time in grinding batter at home you can also buy ready to make wet dosa batter which is easily available in super markets.

Cabbage Green Peas Curry

Cabbage means Muttai Ghos and Green Peas means Patani in Tamil. This is a simple and easy poriyal(curry) a side dish. Its good for lunch or dinner. Its done in most of the weddings in South India.

Ingredients
Cabbage - 1 no small
Green Peas - 1 cup (I used frozen peas. Just soak peas in water for few minutes then add)
Fresh Grated coconut - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2nos (as per your taste)
Curry Leaves - few
Salt

For Seasoning
Oil - 4 tspns
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Asafotida(Hing/Peringayam) - 1 pinch

Bengal Gram(Kadala Parappu/Channa dal) - 1 tspn

Urad dal - 1/4 tspn (Optional)

Preparation Method
Chop cabbage to small pieces. Wash thoroughly.

Heat a wide kadai, put all the ingredients for seasoning. thats oil, mustard wait till it splutters, then add asafotida, urad dal, bengal gram wait till it turns brown then add curry leaves and green chillies. Saute for few minutes.

Now add chopped cabbage, green peas and mix well. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt. Mix well and allow it to cook well. Add little water to cook the vegetable.

Once its done, like you can see the colour is changed and the quantity is reduce. Then add grated coconut. Check for salt if required you can add. Fry for few minutes till its dry.

Cabbage Green Peas Curry is ready to serve. Enjoy the tasty curry with rasam rice or mix with plain white rice.

Pictures coutesy - My husband

Notes - You can add chopped onions too.

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer which I made last weekend at home. This is a very tasty gravy prepared with fresh spinach and Paneer(Cottage Cheese). This dish Palak Paneer is speciality of Northern India. We had this with chapathi as side dish. It was very tasty and yummy.

Seeing fresh spinach in market made me to buy, usually I prepare Keerai Kootu a South Indian gravy and for a change I prepared this dish.

In my recent post you might have read how to make paneer at home, if not click here. Here I go with the recipe. Hope you all enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients
Palak(Spinach) - 1 bunch
Paneer -200gms or 20 cubes
Onion - 1 no
Tomato - 1no
Garam Masala - 1 tspn
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tspn
Spices - Cinamon, Black cardamom - small pieces just for taste.(optional)
Salt

For seasoningOil - 3 tspns
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Cumin seeds(Jeeragam/Jeera) - 1 tspn
Dry Red chilli - 2 nos

Preparation MethodChop onion and tomato to medium size cubes.
Separate spinach leaves from the stem and wash thouroughly.
In a vessel keep water for boiling, keep sufficient water to drop spinach in it. Once its boiling off the stove, put these spinach and leave it till you are doing other things.

In a Kadai, put little oil put spices and fry for a minute. Then put onion and fry till its transperent. Then add tomato and fry till it cooks well. Add litte salt. Keep it in low flame.

While this is cooking,

Filter spinach and grind in mixie to a fine paste. Mix the paste with onion and tomato mixture and boil it. Add salt, garam masala and red chilli powder. Keep it in low flame.
In a sauce pan, put 1 tspn oil and fry paneer for few minutes. Mix this with the gravy. Let it cook for few minutes in low flame.
In the same sauce pan, put 2 tspn oil, mustard wait till it splutters, add red chilli and cumin seeds. After 2 minutes its done. Mix all the above with Palak Paneer.

Palak Paneer is ready to serve. This can be a side dish for Chapathi, Naan, Kulcha and Rotis (Indian Breads)

Dahi Sev

Dahi Sev is very tasty. You can say it a chaat or salad. Its from North India. Its a mix of Dahi called yogurt(curds) in Hindi and Sev a fried savoury. It is very simple and easy to prepare.

Ingredients
Sev (Oma Podi) - 1 cup
Dahi(Thair, Plain Yogurt/Curds) - 1 cup
Chopped Onion - 1 no
Chopped Tomato - 1no
Chaat masala - 2 pinches
Chopped Kothmir(Coriander leaves/Cilantro)- 1 tspn
Salt a pinch

Preparation Method
In a bowl mix onion, tomato with a pinch of salt.
Then beat dahi to smooth then mix.
Top it up with Sev, chaat masala and Kothmir.

Yummy Dahi Sev is ready to serve. Eat immediately after mixing before sev becomes soggy.

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad is very healthy. It can be had before or after dinner or lunch. By topping it with ice cream kids will love it....

Ingredients
Apple - 1 no
Pear - 1 no
Mango - 1 no
Pineapple - 1 no
Banana - 2nos
Grapes (Seedless) - 20 nos
Water melon - few pieces

Ice cream as per your choice of flavour. I have used La Cremeria "Vanilla Cashew Delight".

Preparation Method.

Wash and cut all fruits into small and tiny pieces(If you dont like it with skin you can remove it and then cut). Water melon into small cubes. Put in a bowl and add little sugar. Keep it in fridge for 1-2 hours.

Then later can be served with ice cream or as it is. Fruit Salad is ready to eat.

Variations: Cut all fruits into small cubes and add salt and pepper.
Can also mix custard powder.
Can also add honey.

Andhra Pesarattu | Green Gram Crepes

I am reposting this recipe, since my friend in orkut Kris told me more information and correct method in Andhra style. Then later I checked with my neighbour Bharathi Aunty who is from Hyderabad and got the recipe for Alam Chutney.
Thanks to both of them.

Pesarattu is a dosa (Crepes) made with green gram dal. This is a dish of Andhra style. A very tasty and healthy dosa.

Ingredients
Green Gram(Pacha Payru) - 2 cups
Dosa Rice or Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 no (chopped) - Optional
Curry leaves - few
Cooking oil - 2 tspns
Asafotida (Hing) - 1 pinch
Green chilli - 2 nos
Ginger - 1 small piece
Grated carrot - optionalSalt
Preparation Method

Soak green gram and rice for 1 to 2 hours. Grind in mixie with the skin to fine paste.
In a pan heat oil and asafotida. Then put in batter and mix.
Add salt, curry leaves, chopped green chilli, chopped ginger and mix the batter. Can add chopped onion grated carrots too. (I like to grate onion, ginger and carrots)
Heat a skillet(Dosa kal/tawa) pour the batter like dosa and spread thinly.
Put 1 tspn oil and cook both sides till crisp and brown.

Pesarattu is ready to serve. This can be served with Ginger chutney which is called Alam chutney in Telugu. This is also served with a topping of Upma just before you remove it from pan or with Upma and its called MLA Pesarattu. This is tasty and more filling.

Recipe for Fresh Ginger Chutney(Alam Chutney)
Ginger - 2" piece
Tamarind - small piece
Jaggery - small piece
Dry red chilli - 2nos(as per taste)
Jeeragam(Cumin seeds) - 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Grind all the above things raw in mixie to a fine paste.

Fresh Ginger Chutney(Alam Chutney) is ready.
Notes:
- While making for kids you can grind ginger and green chilli with green gram and ricein the batter.- The batter cant be used more than a single day even you store in fridge over night. Always batter needs to used fully on the 1st day itself since the 2nd day it does not taste good at all.

- Chutney - If you dont like the raw taste of ginger you can slightly fry all ingredients in a pan and then grind to fine paste.
- While making with onion put chopped onion on the tawa and then pour batter and spread. By this onion is nicely mixed with batter.

Tips: While making dosa, heat a pan and while pouring batter keep it in low flame and then increase flame and cook. when removing reduce to low flame. So it is easy to spread the batter and not stick to pan.

Lemon Rasam

I tried making lemon rasam for 2nd time it came out very tasty. Usually I always make rasam with tamarind but daily using tamarind is not good for health. Then my sister in law asked me to try this rasam. Trust me you should try this and let me know how was it...

Ingredients
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup( cooked)
Ginger - 1 big piece
Green chilli - 2nos
Coriander leaves - 1 tspn( chopped)
Lemon - 1 no
Manjal(Turmeric) - a pinch
Salt
Water as required
For seasoning(Tadka)
Cooking oil - 1 tspn
Jeeragam - 1/2 tspn
Mustard - 1/2 tspn

Preparation Method
In a vessel, make a paste of cooked toor dal and water. Add manjal, mash pieces of ginger, slit green chilli into the center and salt. Allow it to boil well.

Add chopped coriander leaves.

Heat little oil in sauce pan. Add mustard wait till it splutters and add jeeragam.

When you are ready for lunch squeeze lemon and mix well. Do not heat after adding lemon juice.

Taste and check it should be a good ginger flavour too otherwise add some more ginger and boil well.

Lemon Rasam is ready to serve.

Notes - If you are making more quantity add lemon juice only when you are serving lunch or dinner. Also do not add when hot.

How to make Paneer at home?

Its been a week since my last post, my target is 2 posts a day. But with my son keeping me busy trying to keep it to 1 post a day. This is in my drafts since a month so posting it today.

Paneer - Indian Cottage cheese is favourite for most of them. I know its more of fat but..... I dont miss to order any paneer dish in restuarants as its my favourite too:-)This is used mostly in Northern India. Now a days most of the kids love too.

Heres you go with how you make paneer at home.

Ingredients

Full cream milk - 1 litre
Vinegar - 2 tspns
Muslin White cloth

Preparation Method

Boil milk on stove.

When its finally forming cream put vinegar and allow it to boil for 1min. So that full milk to curdled. off the stove.

Now in a muslin cloth pour and filter it slowly. Be careful its too hot.

Then remove full water and keep a heavy vessel or any weight on it to remove excess water for about 3-4 hours.

Then remove and store it in freezer. Later you can cut in cubes or grate it whenever needed.

See step by step procedure.

Boil milk as usual.

Then add vinegar to curdle the milk. Stir well so all milk is curdled.

Then strain it in muslin or white cloth and squeeze fully and remove water. (I forgot to take the snap)

Keep a heavy weight on it so no water is left out.

Now after setting for about 4 hours it looks like this. You can cut paneer and store in freezer or directly start cooking by frying it in ghee or oil.

Paneer is ready to use. This can be used for Bengali sweets or gravy.

Notes: You can use little lemon juice too for curdling but vinegar is better. Sometimes paneer is of lemon flavour.