Cornflakes Chat

This is an easy and tasty snack which i often tend to make. Its with cornflakes which is usually consumed with milk as a breakfast. This chat is yummy and a good substitute for Bhel Poori. Check out!



Ingredients:

Cornflakes

Chopped onions

Diced Tomatoes

Shredded Carrots

Boiled potatoes

Chat masala

Green Chutney

Sweet Chutney

Boondi (if desired)

Coriander chopped finely

How to make:

1) In a large bowl, throw in the onions, tomatoes, carrots and mash potatoes roughly.

2) Then add boondi, chutneys, cornflakes and chat masala.

3) Mix well all the ingrdients and garnish with chopped coriander and sev.

NOTE: This is to consumed immediately after mixing because, the juice from tomatoes makes the cornflakes soggy.

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.

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.

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.,

Mor Appam or Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients:

Idly Rice- 3cups
Urad Dal- 1 cup
Rava- 1tbsp
Green Chillies- 4 chopped
Onions-  1big size, chopped
Mustard- 1sp
Urad dal- 1 sp
Channa dal- 1sp
Salt
Oil

How to make:
1) Soak rice for 1 hr and urad dal for 1/2 hr and grind like dosa batter and allow to ferment for a day.
2) The next day, for take one bowl of the batter and add rava, finely chopped onions, green chillies and salt.
3) Splutter some mustard seeds and add urad and channa dal and fry it until golden brown and add to the batter.
4)Add curry leaves to it.
5) Once the batter is ready, heat oil in appam karal or kal.
6) Pour in each cups and fry it until golden brown by tossing it both the sides.
7) A tasty evening snack which can be accompanied with a hot tomato chutney.

Potato Wedges

These lip smacking potato wedges are perfect anytime snack. Though it is high caloried, however, a best snack once a while.

Ingredients:

Potatoes - preferably lengthwise potatoes are selected than the round ones.

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Oil - deep frying

How to make:

1) Wash, peel and cut the potatoes lengthwise. Not to thin.

2) Heat oil and when oil is heated deep fry these wedges.

3) Put it in paper towel to remove excess of oil.

4) Sprinkle salt and pepper.

5) Serve with tomato ketchup or green chutney (desi style)

Alternatives:

Sweet potatoes can also used to make like these....gives a sweet taste and goes well with spicy green chutney.

Mupparuppu Vadai - 3 dal vadai!

My mother use to make this vadai during poojas and festival (vishesham)time. Though it will not come out more crunchier like masal vadai, it tastes yummy! The vadais in the posted snap may not be in appropriate shapes due to my lack of experience, so excuse me for that :)

Ingredients:
Thuvar dal (thuvaram paruppu) - 1/4 cup
Channa dal (kadalai paruppu) - 1/2 cup
Urad dal (ulundu)- 1/4 cup
Raw rice - 1tbspn
Redchillies -4
Salt - to taste
Hing - a pinch
Curry leaves - a bunch

How to make:
1) Soak the dals and raw rice for 45mins and grind them. (Split the grinding process into 2 session, first grind thuvar dal and urad dal smoothly and then grind channa dal coarsely to make vadas crunchier).
2) During grinding process add salt, redchillies.
3) Take out the mixture and add hing powder and chopped curry leaves.
4) In case if the batter is very thick add little water to make it exact consistency, if its is very lose with excess of water add some rice flour.
5) Make medium sized patties and deep fry in oil.

Idly Burgers (Leftover special)

Ingredients:

1) Leftover Idlis
2) Leftover vegetable cutlets
3) Green chutney(Coriander, green chillies, ginger, mint leaves ground together and mixed with salt and lemon juice)
4) Tomato ketchup
5) Tomtoes, Cucumber, Onions cut into round pieces
6) Grated cheese
7) Mango powder


How to make:

1) Cut the idlis into two halves (cross section)
2) Arrange the idlis, and spread the green chutney, and place the vegetable according to your interest.
3) Place the veg. patties and sprinkle the mango powder and then spread tomato ketchup.
4) Grate the cheese and cover with vegetables and then the other idly half.
5) Heat the oven and place these for 2 mins, for the cheese to melt a li'll.

Vegetable Cutlet

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup green beans, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1 tsp. red chilli powder

1 tsp. garam masala

coriander leaves

1/4 cup bread crumbs

oil for deep frying

How to make:

1) Boil potatoes. Steam chopped vegetables until tender.Peel and coarsely mash potatoes.

2) Add salt, red chilli powder, garam masala and coriander leaves.

3) Mix with your hands.

4) Make small balls of the mix and shape into round flat patties with a greased hand.(use mould if u want any other shapes, eg. hearts, diamonds, etc.)

5) Roll in bread crumbs.

6) Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the patties until golden brown.

7) Serve hot with Ketchup.

Masal Vadai

Super South Indian snack which would be awesome to have at the time of rainy season and watching cricket. Very easy to make and consumes less time for the preparation.




Ingrdients:

Kadalai Paruppu - 1 small cup
Thuvar dal - 1 tablespoon
Onions - 1 big sized
Fennel seeds(saunf) - 1 tea spoon
Red Chillies - 4nos
Green chillies - Finely chopped
Salt - to taste
Hing - A pinch
Curry Leaves - small bunch
Oil - for deep frying

To Grind:

Soak the two dals for about 45mins and grind coresly with red chillies, fennel seeds, curry leaves.

How to make:
1) To the ground mixture, add finely chopped green chillies and onion (if desired you may also add finely chopped ginger and garlic or paste them and add to this mixture)
2) Add hing powder, salt and mix well.
3) Avoid water and see to that the mixture is not too loose.
4) Heat oil in a pan and make patties of the mixture and deep fry them.
5) Remove from oil when its golden brown.

Other Alternatives:
Same procedure for making cabbage vadai,keerai vadai, carrot, beetroot vadai etc.

Serving suggestions: Accompaniments may be tomato ketchup, pudina chutney or any spicy,tangy dips.