Thayir Vada (Curd Vada)

Thayir vada or Curd vada's are a famous dish in south India.. Usually these are a must in all traditional marriages.. These can be had at any time of the day..
Here goes the recipe of my thayir vada:
For the vada refer snacks : http://chutneys-sumathi.blogspot.com/2008/09/medhu-vada.html

Ingredients:
Curds / Yogurt - 1 1/2 cups (beat with hand beater until smooth)
For Sprinkling :
Red chilli powder -- 1/2 tsp
Jeera powder -- 1/2 tsp
Chaat masala powder -- 1/4 tsp
Green chilli chutney -- little
Sweet tamarind chutney -- 1 tsp
Grated Carrots -- 1 tbsp
Chopped Coriander leaves -- little
Salt to taste

Method:
Prepare vadas as per the vada recipe mentioned above
Put the hot vadas in hot water. Leave it for 2 minutes.
Press out each vada gently between cloth or paper towel.
Then put all the vadas into 1 cup curd. Soak it for an hour and refrigerate it for sometime.

To Serve :
Remove the vadas from the fridge. Arrange the vadas in a bowl
Pour the rest of the curd over it
Sprinkle tamarind chutney, green chutney, jeera powder, chaat masala, chilli powder, salt & grated carrot. One after the other.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve chilled

Vegetable Oats Dosa

This is a recipe which i found on EC's simpleindianfood.blogspot.com. . found it interesting and healthy.. so made a little variations and it turned out to be really a hit in my family.

Ingredients (Translation):
Oats -- 1 cup
Rava --1/4 cup
Rice flour -- 1/4 cup
Water -- 2 cups
Green chillie paste -- 2 tsp
Finely chopped coriander leaves -- 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil -- little
Grated Carrot -- 4 tbsp
Methi Leaves -- 4tbsp chopped finely

Method:
Mix all ingredients except oil and let it stay covered for 15 minutes.Heat tava and add a laddle full of batter to it and spread in a circular manner. Pour a little oil in the sides.When one side is cooked, turn it and cook on other side as well.Serve hot with chutney or sambar.

Medhu Vada

Medhu Vada is a traditional South Indian Recipe.. it is an Indian Savoury Doughnut which can be had at any time of the day..

Ingredients :
Urad Dal -- 2 cups (makes 18 to 20 vadas)
Chopped Onion -- 1/4 cup
Green chillies -- 3 or 4
Curry Leaves --1 spring
Black Pepper Corns --1 tbsp
Ginger --1 inch piece
Salt -- to taste
Oil -- to fry

Method:
Take urad Dal in a vessel and add water to cover the Dal and keep aside to soak.
After about 1 hour the Dal will be well soaked and ready to be ground.

Making the Batter:
In a wet grinder or a blender grind the Dal in small portions without adding water. If the grinder is unable to grind well, sprinkle some water and grind again till you get a smooth, thick and fluffy paste.


Note: for making the vadas the traditional way - using the palm of your hand - the batter has to be as thick as possible. In case the batter has become less thick, you can add some urad flour to make the batter thicker.
To this Dal batter, add chopped ginger, green chillies, onion, curry leaves, whole black pepper corns, and salt and mix well.
Heat oil in a kadai or deep skillet. Let the oil get really hot .
Make donut shapes with the batter either using the palm of your hand as mentioned below.
Making donut shapes using hands:
Wet the palm of your hand with water and place a ball of the vada mix on it . Press it down slightly with the fingers of your other hand. Now using one finger make a hole in the middle of it. Drop it slowly and carefully into the hot oil. Wet your palm each time you make the donut shape - this prevents the batter from sticking to your hand.
Fry vadas till golden brown and drain on an absorbant paper.
Serve hot with chutney or sambar.
Note :
Use as little water as possible to make the batter ,this makes the vadas absorb less oil.
You can use a thick plastic sheet to shape the vadas also..

Capsicum chutney

Ingredients:
Red Capsicum -- 2 large
Dry red chillies -- 2
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds -- 1 tsp
Urad Dal -- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds -- 1 tsp
Oil -- 2 tbsp
Salt -- to taste

Method :
Wash capsicum. deseed them and cut them into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan. When hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Urad Dal , red chillies and fry. when it starts to splutter add the capsicum and salt and fry till soft.
Allow to cool and grind to a paste..

Serve with rotis, dosas or rice...

Variation : You could add 2 to 3 pods of garlic and 2 springs of curry leaves..

Apple Chutney

Ingredients:
Green Apple : 2 medium
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder : 1/2 tsp (or as per taste)
Salt : to taste
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds : 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies : 1 (cut into small 1/2 inch pieces)
Oil : 2 tbsp
Jaggery : 1 tbsp (optional)

Method:
Wash the apples and cut them into small pieces and deseed them. Heat oil in a pan and when hot add the mustard seeds, methi seeds and red chillies. When they start to splutter add the cut apples and turmeric powder and fry them till the apples cook well. Now mash the apples and add salt, red chillie powder and jaggery . Mix well and allow to cook for 5 min on low flame..
Apple chutney is ready to serve..
Serve with any dish of your choice...

Puli Milagai ( green chilies simmered in tamarind stew)

This is my dad’s favorite dish.. Here goes the recipe for a spicy tongue from my mom’s kitchen:

Ingredients:

Green chilies: 30 slit lengthwise
Tamarind paste -- 3 tbsp
Water -- 1 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Jaggery – 1 tbsp

For seasoning:
Mustard – 1 tsp
Asafetida – ¼ tsp

Method:

Wash the green chilies and slit them.

Heat oil in a kadai, when hot add the mustard and asafetida , when it starts to splutter add the green chilies and fry .

Fry the green chillies till they become whitish brown in colour.

Now add the tamarind pulp, water, jaggery and salt and allow to boil.

Let it simmer till it becomes thick.

Serve with any dish of your choice... Would be great with dosa, idli, upma or curd rice ..

Note: This has a shelf life of more than a month..

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

Rice -- 1 cup
Lemon -- Juice of 1 lemon (can adjust to taste)
Salt -- to taste
Raw Peanuts -- 4 tbsp
Channa Dal -- 1tbsp
Mustard seeds -- 1 tsp
Urad Dal -- 1 tbsp
Green chillies -- 2 slight lengthwise
Cilantro -- little finely chopped
Cashews -- to garnish
oil -- For tempering
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

Method:

Wash and cook rice in the proportion 1:2 (rice : water).. Allow to cool and separate the grains..

heat oil in a pan. When hot add all of the above ingredients except the lemon juice. Fry for a minute. Now spread the cooled rice on a plate and add this fried mixture to it. Add salt and lemon juice and mix well..

Lemon rice is ready to serve...

Oats Burfi

These are quick and easy sweet for an sudden guest. Made in few minutes. Enjoy these tasty healthy sweets..



Ingredients:

Quick cooking Oats -- 1/2 cup powdered

Sugar-- 3 Tbsp

Water -- 3 tbsp

Condensed milk -- 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder -- 1 pinch

Ghee -- 3 tbsp

Sliced Almonds -- For garnishing


Method:

Make a fine powder of the oats in a blender and measure the required quantity. Heat a heavy bottom kadai and add the ghee to it and roast the oats powder till good smell comes. Now add sugar , water, condensed milk and cardamom powder to it and mix well till it forms a ball..

Grease a tray and pour the mixture and flatten it.. Cut into squares and garnish with sliced almonds..



Tips: I usually grease an aluminium foil and pour sweets over it as it is easy for clean up ..

Rava Ladoo

Rava ladoo is a very tasty, quick and easy sweet.. which would be ready in minutes. Here goes my recipe :

Ingredients:

Rava -- 1 cup
Sugar -- 1cup
Ghee -- 1/2 cup
Dry Grapes -- a handful
Cashew -- a handful

Method :
Dry roast rava till good smell comes.. allow to cool.. Mix rava and sugar and put it in a blender and make a fine powder of it.
Heat ghee in a small pan and add the grapes and cashew to it and fry till light golden brown.. now add the ghee mixture to the rava powder..

Mix well..

Now take a handful of the mixture and make balls by closing your fist tightly.. Put them carefully in an air tight container.

Enjoy these delicious easy to make ladoos !!

Masal Vada / Paruppu Vadai

Masala Vadas are popular South Indian deep fried crisp lentil dumplings prepared with Channa Dal(Bengal gram lentil),onions and Indian spices.The outer crust is crisp,tastes great and is generally eaten as a snack.It can be eaten as it is or served with coconut chutney.

Ingredients:
Soaked and drained Channa Dal(split Bengal gram) -- 1 cup
Fennel seeds -- 1/2 tsp
Garlic -- 4-5 flakes
Ginger -- 1 " finely chopped
Curry leaves -- 2 springs finely chopped
Green chillies -- 4
Cabbage -- 1 cup finely chopped
Chopped fresh coriander leaves -- 1-2 tbsp
Chopped mint leaves -- 1 tsp
Salt -- to taste
oil for frying




Method :
Drain the excess water from the Dal and grind along with the green chillies, garlic, ginger and fennel seeds. Grind to a coarse paste and mix the cabbage to it.

Make small balls and flatten them and deep fry them in hot oil till they turn golden brown in colour.

Drain on an absorbent paper and enjoy these hot crispy tasty vadas..

Note: Finely chopped onions can be added instead of cabbage...

Thattai

Thattai is an easy savoury snack made using rice flour which can be preserved for a few days after making and is very popular with most people. Here is how i make it :


Ingredients:
Rice Flour -- 4 cups
Urad Dal powder -- 1/2 cup
Roasted gram Dal powder -- 1/2 cup
Red chillie powder -- 2 tsp or 2 green chillies finely minced
Ghee -- 2 tbsp
Salt -- to taste
Curry leaves -- 2 springs finely minced
Channa Dal -- 2tbsp soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained
Water -- Little to mix a dough
Oil -- for frying

Method :
Mix all the above ingredients to form a pliable dough. Make small balls of the dough and flatten to form a thin circle of diameter 2 cm . You could use a thick plastic sheet or wax paper to make the thattai. Rub your hands with oil which helps in easier flattening of the balls. Make sure to prick them with the help of a fork which helps it to stop puffing up when frying.

Small balls and flattening them

Heat oil in a kadhai... When hot put 4 or 5 at a time and fry till golden brown and crispy..

Frying in hot oil

Drain on absorbent paper and store in an air tight container..

Kodubale (Deep Fried Rice Flour snack)

This is one of the widely known snacks of Karnataka, perhaps also popular in other parts of South India. It is fairly easy to prepare, but needs a lot of time and effort. The name kodubale referes to : KODU means Horn (like that of a cow) and BALE means Bangle, so first a kodu is made and then circled into a bangle, so it is named after the meanings.

Ingredients :

Rice flour -- 1 cup
Rava -- 1 cup
Maida -- 1 cup
Red Chile powder -- 1 tsp ( or as per taste)
Salt to taste
Black Til seeds -- 1 tsp
Butter -- 2 tbsp
Water -- little to knead the dough
Oil -- for frying

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients and rub the butter into the dough so that it crumbles well and mixes well. Add little water and make a stiff dough.

Now take a small ball of the dough and roll it in the shape of a small string and then join the edges of the string to form a bangle shape. Make all of the dough into small bangle shape and keep covered under a damp cloth.

Heat a kadai with oil . When the oil is hot add few at a time and fry till golden brown in colour.
Drain on a absorbent paper and store in an airtight container.