Pani Poori

I am crazy of chat items and fond of trying out them at home. If i go to a restaurant my first order would be a Chat item and my soul is then fulfilled...After long time i am trying some chats in my kitchen and luv this rain for setting up the mood..!!!

For making poori's

Ingredients:
1/4 cup maida
1 1/2 cups ravai or sooji
1 tbsp oil or ghee
salt to taste
water for kneading
oil for deep frying

For making Pani/ sauces:
Katta pani

Ingredients:
6-7 cups cold water
Cluster of pudina leaves and coriander leaves
1 green chilli
small piece ginger
1 tbsp amchur pwd/ Dry mango powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala pwd
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
pinch of black salt (optional)
fresh coriander leaves for garnish
salt to taste

How to make:
1) Make a paste of mint leaves, green chilli and ginger and keep aside .
2) Take a vessel, add the cold water in it, followed by the green paste and combine well.
3) Add cumin pwd, chaat masala pwd, amchur pwd, black salt, salt to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves. 4) Chill in refrigerator till use.

Meeta Pani:

Ingredients:
Tamarind 1/2 cup (deseeded. You can also use tamarind paste)
Dates 3/4 cup (deseeded, also called “pitted dates”. Get them at desi or mediterranean store)
Gud / Jaggery/ Mollases (can use sugar instead) - 1 cup, add to taste
Red chilli powder
Cumin seeds

1) Boil 4-5 cups water. When water boils, add tamarind, dates and gud/sugar. Boil themfor 5 minutes.
2)  Let the mixture cool down slightly.Blend them in mixie.
3)  Strain this to get thick liquid.
4) Dry roast cumin seeds and let them crackle.
5) Add the strained mixture to this and add red chilly powder.

Broccoli Masala- Healing Foods Event

I am posting this recipe to 'Treat your Tongue'- Sayali's 'Healing Food Event'. Usually Broccoli is a rare vegetable in my kitchen and i made this masala dish long before and had posted in my blog previously.. Am re-posting this recipe in my blog for the event and sharing with my friends.

Ingredients:
100gms broccoli florets
1 cup mixed vegetables ( mashed potato, carrots cut into cubes, peas, corn)
3 slit green chillies
3 onions
1 inch sized ginger
1 unripen tomato
3 cloves
Half handful cashewnuts
1 tbspn curd
1 tbspn garam masala
1 tbspn red chilli powder
1 tbspn dhania powder
Coriander leaves
Fresh cream for garnishing
Salt for taste
Oil

How to make:

To grind:
Onions, green chillies, ginger, tomato, cashews to a smooth paste.

1) Boil all mentioned vegetables with li'll turmeric and a pinch of salt.
2) Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions.
3) Add the ground paste to the onions and garam masala, chilli powder, coriander powder.
4) Add boiled vegetables and mashed potato to it.
5) Add required salt, curd and let it cook for few minutes.
6) After it becomes a thick gravy remove from the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fresh cream.
This Broccoli Masala goes to Healing Foods Event- by Sayali and also to Siri's Corner

Vegetable Fritters or Bajji

Its raining and i wanted to make something hot, spicy to nibble. Bajji's is an apt snack in raining season!! Here goes........

Ingredients:
Besan or Kadalai Flour -1 cup
Rice or Arisi flour- 1/2 cup
Chilli powder- 1 spn
Hing- a pinch
Salt- to taste
Food colour- orange (a pinch)
Oil- for deep frying

Vegetables i used: Potatoes, Raw Banana, Baby corn, Carrots. All sliced thinly.

How to Make:
1) Mix all the above mentioned ingredients with water and mix well without lumps.
2) The batter should not be watery. should have the consistency of idly batter.
3) Dip the veges one by one in the batter inorder to coat the batter.
4) Deep fry in the oil and serve hot with pudina chutney or ketchup.

Yummy!!!

Kondakadalai Sundal

Ingredients:

Black kondakadalai or Channa- 1cup
Coconut Scrapes - 1 tbspn
Mustard Seeds- 1spn
Urad - 1spn
Oil- 1tbsp
Redchillies- 2nos
Salt- to taste

How to make:
1) Wash and soak the channa for 8 hrs. Pressure cook the channa with little salt and pinch of turmeric powder. Drain the water.
2) In a pan, heat oil and splutter some mustard seeds and fry urad dal, redchillies.
3) Then add channa to the pan and mix well.
4) Add coconut scrapes and salt to taste.

Note: If you want it to be spicy, coarsely grind coconut and greenchillies. OR, roast 1tsp dania, 1sp urad dal, redchillies 2nos. sesame seed 1/2spn in oil and powder it coarsely. This powder can be added to the sundal with little hing. Gives a different taste.

Onion Garlic Karakuzhambu

This is a chettinad style karakuzhambu and i make this for my husband whenever i travel. This can be stored more than 5days under refrigeration and ideal for rice, idly and dosas. I got this recipe from internet and i have excluded some ingredients to our liking.

Ingrdients:
Tamarind- lemon sized
Garlic Pods- 25gms
Small onions- 25gms
Coriander Powder- 1tbsp
Kumbhu powder- 1 tbsp
Redchilli powder- 1/2 tbsp
Mustard- 1tsp
redchiilies-1nos
Gingely Oil- 3tbsp

How to make:

1)Soak tamarind with hot water for about 1/2 hr and extract the pulp. Do not add extract watery.
2) In a pan, heat oil and saute the garlic and onion until its done and pour the tamarind pulp to it.
3) Once the raw smell is gone, add sambar powder, chilli powder and dhania powder.
4)Let the all cook until the tamarind pulp gives a thick consistency.
5)Add salt. Hheat oil and spluttur mustard seeds and fry the redchillies and add to the gravy.
6) Season with gingely oil and garnish with curry leaves.

Bittergourd Masala Rings

I am a great fan of bittergaurd, however, i am bored to eat this as an usual sidedish. I tried this in a different method which turned out well and even my husband, a bittergourd hater, liked it.

Here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:
Bittergourd: 4nos.
Kadalai maav- 3tbspn
Rice flour- 2tbspn
Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
Ginger Garlic paste- 1spoon
Sesame seeds- 1 spoom
Salt- to taste
Oil- for deep frying

How to make:

1) Cut the bittergourd into rings and remove the seeds.
2) After washing, add water, a pinch of turmeric powder and boil it for 5mins till it becomes little soften.
3)Strain the water and wash in running cold water.
4) Add besan flour, rice flour, sesame seeds, salt, chilli powder, ginger garlic paste, Sesame seeds and mix well and water to be sprinkled. Do not make it batter.
5) Keep it in refrigerator for 1/2 hr.
6) Heat oil in a pan, and deep fry the rings until it turns golden brown.

Note: The boiling and draining is done to reduce the bitterness. If one likes to have it bitter, can avoid this step.

It goes with rice, side snack with tomato ketchup etc.,

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

Tomatoes : 250gms
Basmati rice : 1 cup
Coconut milk : 1 cup
Ginger : 2” piece
Garlic : 4 pods
Green chillies : 2 or 3
Cloves : 2
Cinnamon : 1” stick
Bay leaves : 1 or 2
Dhania powder : 1 tbsp.
Chilli powder : 1 or 2 tsp (as per taste)
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp.
Salt to taste
Ghee or oil : 2 tbsp.
Cashew nuts : for garnishing.
Curry leaves and coriander leaves for garnishing.

How to make:

1)Blanch the tomatoes by dipping in boiling water and immediately dipping in cold water. Remove the skin and make a puree of the tomatoes.

2)Pepare coconut milk or use ready made coconut milk. Slit the green chillies.

3)Wash and soak the rice for 10 minutes. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and fry the cashew nut to a golden brown color. Remove and keep aside for garnishing.   Into the same ghee, add the whole garam masalas (cloves, cinnamon and cardamom) and bay leaf. When they stop spluttering, add the slit green chillies and saute for a minute.  Add the tomato puree and coconut milk, ginger and garlic paste. As the tomato puree is quite thick it provides only half its measure of water for the rice to cook.  If quantity of coconut milk used is 1 cup and tomato puree is 1 cup, we need to add an additional half cup of water to the rice for cooking. Add the dhania powder, chilli powder (or the sambar powder), turmeric powder and salt. Close the pressure cooker and cook the rice with the weight valve on. When done, garnish with curry leaves, coriander leaves and cahsew nuts.