MASALA PURI

Ingredients :

1 cup - Wheat flour

2 tsp - Oil + Frying

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp - Ajwain

1 pinch - Asafoetida

1/2 tsp - Red chilli powder

Preparation:

• Sieve the wheat flour and salt.
• Mix all the ingredients and knead to firm dough adding enough water.
• Cover and keep the aside for half an hour.
• Take small lumps of dough and roll into small puris.
• Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry the puris.
• Serve masala puri hot with curry of your choice.

Plain Dosa

Ingredients:

3 cup rice (chawal)

1 cup split black gram lentil (urad ki dhuli dal)

1 tsp salt (namak)

1 tsp fenugreek seeds (dana methi)

oil as required

How to make plain dosa:

• Soak rice, dal and dana methi for 6 hours.
• Then grind them to a fine thin batter by adding little water.
• Add salt to it and leave it covered for 12 hours for fermentation.
• Now heat a non stick tawa and spread 1 tbsp of the batter on the whole of the pan.
• Grease all the corners and then cook it on the other side also.
• Put little water on the tawa and wipe it with a clean cloth before making each dosa.
• Serve them hot with hot sambhar and chutney.

MASALA DOSA

Ingredients :

Dosa shell :

1 1/2 cups rice

1/2 cup urad dal

salt to taste

Oil

Masala Filling :

2 large potatoes

1 medium onion (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon yellow split peas

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1-2 green chili

1 tablespoon oil

salt to taste

Preparation :

Dosa shell :

• Separately soak rice and urad dal at least 6 hour or overnight in water.
• Grind to paste.
• Mix together, add salt with water to make batter.
• Leave in room temperature overnight.
• Mix onion and chilies to the thin batter.
• Heat pan or griddle with little ghee or oil.
• Spread the mix on pan in circular motion to make thin Dosa.
• Cook on both the sides, if desired.

Masala Filling (Spicy Filling):

• Heat oil. Add mustard seed, peas, onions and spice.
• Fry for about 5 minutes on medium heat or/until onions are turned into golden brown
• Add potatoes and mix and cook some more Serve
• Add filling inside Dosa and roll. Serve hot with Chutney

Cherupayar Thoran

Ingredients ;

Green gram – 1cup
Onion (finely chopped) – 1 no
Garlic pods (crushed) – 3 no
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
Chilly powder – 1/4 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Green chillies – 4 no
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Dry red chillies – 2 no
Salt – as required


Method :

1.Pressure cook green gram by adding enough water.

2.Add salt and keep aside.

3.Roughly grind grated coconut, chilly powder, green chillies, garlic and turmeric powder.

4.Add this to the cooked green gram and mix well.

5.Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.

6.Add curry leaves and dry red chillies and roast.

7.Add green gram to this and stir-  fry  till all the water is evaporated

Cabbage Thoran

Ingredients:

250 gm Cabbage
1 Onion
1 Carrot
2-3 chopped Green Chillies
2 chopped Red chillies
1 tbsp grated Coconut
1/2 tsp grated Ginger
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 sprig Curry leaves
1 tsp Oil
A pinch Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method:

1.Cut the cabbage, onion, carrot and ginger into long thin pieces.
2.Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and saute until pops up.
3.Add the red chillies, ginger and curry leaves, saute for 30-40 seconds.
4.Add the vegetables, green chillies, turmeric powder and salt, mix well.
5.Cover and cook over low flame for 3-4 minutes.
6.Add the grated coconut and cook for another couple of minutes.
7.Serve hot with rice.

Sambar Recipe

This Sambar recipe is one of the most loved dishes in South Indian cuisine. It accompanies most every meal. In South India, there are variations to this sambar recipe, but this is the one I use.

Ingredients :

1/2 lime sized ball Tamarind
1 cup Toor Dal (or red lentils)
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons oil
Salt to taste
5 small dry red chilies (or to taste)
8 Curry Leaves (see note)
1 medium onion (shallots are preferable)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 large tomato
2 tablespoons sambar powder (see note)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves (also known as coriander leaves)
1 cup of a vegetable of your choice like green beans, chopped carrot

Directions :
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 20 minutes. Squeeze it out, adding water little by little to prepare 1 cup of juice.

Choose a heavy cooking pot. Wash and clean the dal. Boil 2 cups of water and add the dal, turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon of oil. As the dal boils, skim off the foam and discard. Boil until the dal is soft and then mash it coarsely. If needed, add more water as it is boiling but do not let it get too watery. If you use a pressure cooker it will take about 5 minutes.

Tandoori Chicken Chaat

Ingredients :

2 tandoori chickens, shredded

1 tblsp lemon juice

salt to taste

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tblsp oil

1/2 cup raw green mango (kachha aam)

1/2 cup onions, sliced fine

2 tsp green chillies, chopped

40 gms coriander leaves, chopped

2 tsp chaat masala

1 tsp ginger (adrak), julienned

How to make tandoori chicken chaat :

• To make the lemon dressing add together lemon juice with salt, chilli powder and oil. Keep this dressing aside.
• Cut the raw mango into thin strips.
• Mix the raw mango strips, onions, green chillies, coriander leaves, chaat masala, shredded chicken pieces and the lemon dressing well.
• Serve immediately, garnished with chopped ginger.

Vegetable Samosa

Ingredients:

For Cover :

1 cup all purpose flour (Maida)

Water to Knead dough

2tbsp oil

Little salt

1/4th tsp. Ajwain (optional)

For Stuffing :

3-4 Potatoes (boiled, peeled & mashed)

1/2 cup Green Peas (boiled)

1-2 Green Chilies (finely chopped)

1/2tsp Ginger (crushed)

1tbsp coriander finely chopped

Few chopped Cashews (optional)

Few Raisins (optional)

1/2tsp Garam masala

Salt to taste

Red chili powder to taste

1/2 tsp. Dry Mango powder( Amchur) (optional)

How to make samosa :

For Cover :

• Mix all the ingredients (salt, oil, ajwain) except water.
• Add a little water at a time.
• Pat and knead well for several times into a soft pliable dough.
• Cover it with moist Muslin cloth and keep aside for 15 minutes.

For Stuffing :

• In a bowl add mashed potatoes and all dry masalas (salt, chili powder, mango powder, garam masala) and green chilles, ginger and Mix well.
• Add green peas, cashews and raisins and mix well.
• Add coriander and keep aside.

To Proceed :

• Make small rolls of dough and roll it into a 4"-5" diameter circle.
• Cut it into two parts like semi-circle.
• Now take one semi circle and fold it like a cone. Use water while doing so.
• Place a spoon of filling in the cone and seal the third side using a drop of water.
• Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry till golden brown (fry on a medium flame).
• Serve samosa hot with hari chutney, tamarind chutney.

Mutta Bajji

Ingredients :

Egg - 2 nos Besan Flour - 1/2 cup Kaayam podi - 1 small pinch Chilly Powder - 1/2 spoon Pepper Powder - 1/2 spoon Turmeric Powder - 1/4 spoon Salt - for taste Oil - for frying Preparation : 1)Boil the eggs and cut into half pieces. 2)Nicely spread pepper powder on the eggs and keep aside. 3)In a bowl mix besan flour along with kaayam,chilli,turmeric powder and salt. 4)Take the egg and dip in mixed flour and deep fry. :- Serve hot!!!

Potato Bajji

Ingredients:

1. Besan flour – 2 cups

2. Rice flour – ½ cup

3. Baking soda – a pinch

4. Chilli powder – 1 tsp

5. Salt – to taste

6. Potato – 2 (cut into thin slices)

7. Oil – for deep frying

Preparation :

Mix the besan flour, rice flour, chilli powder, salt and baking soda with little amount of water.

It shouldn’t be too thick nor too thin.

Heat oil in a pan.

Cut the potato le into slices.

Dip the slice in batter.

Leave slowly and fry in hot oil.

Fry till the bajji turn into golden brown colour.

Drain the excess of oil.

Serve hot with ketchup or any chutney.

Mulaku Bajji / Chilli Bajji

Ingredients :

Bajji Mulaku(Long green chillies) - 10 nos
Lime - 1 no
Gram flour(Kadalapodi) - 1 cup
Chilly powder - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Baking soda - 1 pinch
Salt - As reqd
Oil for deep frying

Preparation Method :

1)Clean the chillies. Cut into half, take out the seeds inside. 2)Mix together besan flour with salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and pinch of baking soda to dosa batter consistency. 3)Take lime water in a bowl and add a pinch of salt in it. 4)Put the chilles in it for marination for 10 mins. 5)Take them out and dip them in the besan batter. 6)Deep fry in hot oil. :- Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Banana Bajji

Ingredients

Raw banana - 2
Gram flour - 1 cup
Chilli powder - 3 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Oil - as needed

Method :

1. Remove skin of banana and cut into thin slices.
2. Soak the slices in salt water.
3. Mix gram flour, chilli powder, ginger garlic paste with water in a bowl to prepare a thick batter.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan.
5. Dip the banana slices in batter, fry them in oil till golden and serve hot.

Sambar Vada

Ingredients :

Black gram(Uzhunnuparippu) - 250 gm
Soda-bi-carb - A pinch
Salt – As reqd
Oil for deep frying

Preparation :

1)Soak black gram overnight. 2)Drain off the excess water. 3)Grind it in a grinder without using water. 4)Heat oil in a pan. 5)By the time the oil gets heated, beat the mixture with a little water till it becomes fluffy. 6)Add salt and soda-bi-carb. 7)Wet your palm and spread 1 tbsp of the mixture on it and make a hole in the center to get the desired shape. Carefully remove it from your palm and fry them to a golden brown colour. 8)While serving, put these vadas in a bowl of Sambar topped with chopped coriander leaves. :- Makes 25 Vadas.