Coconut Chutney

Coconut chutney is the basic and easy chutney that is made in every south Indian homes for breakfast or Tiffin. It goes well with idly, dosa , kozakattai, uppuma, pongal , kichidi etc. My mom makes it without the garlic. But try it with a 1 clove of garlic the chutney really tastes good. Until I grew up I used tell my mom make the coconut chutney like the ones severed at hotels/restaurants. But found out that just 1 clove of garlic makes such a huge difference.


Ingredients:
3/4 cup of fresh coconut, grated ( shredded copra will also do)
4 small green chilies, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
2-3 tablespoon roasted split gram (dalia dal), optional
salt to taste
small piece of tamarind
1 clove of garlic(optional)

For the tempering:
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 red chili, broken into pieces
3/4 teaspoon of urad dal
hing a pinch
2 to 3 curry leaves
1 teaspoon oil

Method:

Grind the coconut, green chilies, ginger, roasted split gram , garlic , tamarind and salt in a blender with a little water and grind to make a fine paste. Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the mustard seeds, urad daal, red chili and curry leaves and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well and enjoy.

Dal Tadka

There are many varieties of dal that you can make.  With or without tomatoes, with different vegetables , with different dals or combination of dals etc.. Dal tadka is simple and basic dal which can be had with rice or roti.  And can be served as soup for dieters :-).  Yeah read somewhere that singer Adnaan Sami's dinner was a bowl of dal when he was trying to reduce his weight.

Ingredients:
Moong Dal / Toor dal - 1 cup (I prefer toor dal)
tomatoes - 3 chopped
Onions - 1 chopped
Turmeric - a pinch
Green chillies - 2 or 3
Garlic - 2/3 pods chopped
Ginger - a small piece chopped
Coriander chopped
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - (according to the taste)
Water 2 glasses
Garam Masala 1/4 tsp
dhaniya powder 1/4 tsp
chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Jeera seeds (Cumin seeds) - 1/2 tsp
Sounf seeds - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tsps
oil  - 1 tsps

Method:
Pressure cook  dal with water and turmeric until 3 whistles.  If you don' t have a pressure cooker then just  take a microwavewable dish and cook dal with water for 25 mins.  Now take pan and add oil.  Add cumin seeds, sounf and add the Ginger and Garlic and fry.  Then add onion until it becomes translucent and then add tomatoes and green chillies.   Add the Garam Masala ,salt  and dhaniya powder cook for a minute.  Add diced tomatoes and let them cook until the oil seperates.  Now addd the cooked dal and let it simmer for 5 more minutes on slow heat.   Take a small fry pan add 2 tablespoons of ghee and add some red chilli powder and fry for a minute and  pour this on top of the dal .  Garnish with chopped coriander and enjoy.

Onion Chutney/Vengayai Thogaiyal

This is one of my husbands favorite chutney. Actually he is not a pickle/chutney person. But this and coconut chutney is exception for him.

Ingredients:

Onions - 3 big thinly chopped
2 tsp - Urad daal
2 tsp - channa daal
red chili - 3 nos
salt to taste
methi seeds -few
tamarind paste 1/4 tsp
oil for frying the above ingredients

Method:

First heat pan with little oil and fry the daals, red chili and methi seeds. Then remove them from oil and then start frying the onions until transparent. Once the onions cools, grind the onions along with the daals , methi seeds, red-chili, tamarind paste and salt. This chutney should not be waters like coconut chutney , it should be stiff. This goes well with chapattis and rice. Enjoy.

Malai Kofta

Ingredients:

This is my second time making malai kofta at home.  I have invited few friends over dinner for the christmas eve.   So tried making malai kofta.

For the Kofta:
5- potatoes
2 cups of crumbled paneer
1/4 cup cashewnuts - for stuffing inside the kofta 
1/4 cup raisins - for stuffing inside the kofta
1 tsp - chilli powder
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cardammom powder
Salt To Taste
3 tbsp cooking oil/ghee(clarified butter)
Oil for frying the koftas

For the gravy:

onions -2 medium chopped
garlic - 3pods chopped
small piece of inch ginger - chopped
tomatoes - 3 large chopped
red-chilli powder - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1 small stick
cardomon- 3 small pods
cloves - 2/3
bay leaf - 1
jeera and sounf - 1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp dhania(corainder) powder
1 tsp powdered poppy seeds
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp cashewnuts

Method :

Boil the potatoes till tender and peel mash it.  Mix salt and little chilli-powder and keep it aside.  Mix paneer, masala ingredients along with cashews and raisins for the fillings.  Now take small amount of the potato dough make small circular discs and place a little prepared mixture in the center of each round.  Seal the edges and shape into stuffed rounds.  Heat oil and deep fry each kofta till golden brown. Drain and keep aside.

Now heat little oil and fry the raw masla along with cashewnuts, ginger, garlic, onions and tomatoes and blend together into a paste.  Now heat oil and fry the gravy till the oil separates and add malai , masala powders and sugar.  Let the gravy simmer and  thicken.   Mix in some water if necessary. Now add koftas and remove from the heat after a minute or two.
Note: The koftas should be added just before serving else they might turn soggy.

Palak Roti

Ingredients:

3 cups of wheat flour
salt to taste
1-green chilli
palak - 1 cup (I used frozed spinach)
garlic - 2 pods
ginger - small piece
jeera - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - little for color
water to knead.

First microware spinach at high for 2-3 minutes and grind cooked spinach, garlic, salt , ginger  and jeers with little water.  Then add the mixture to the dry flour and knead into a soft dough by adding water slowly if needed.  Let the dough rest for 30 minutes and take a pich of dough and roll into small cirlcles evenly.  Heat tawa and place the roti on the tava when its cooked on one side flip it.  And when you see small bubles directly throw it on the flame and let it cook.  Apply ghee if needed and roll them with paper towels.  Spinach roties are ready.  This can served with any vegetable dish or served with just plain raita and pickle.  Enjoy.

Tindora masala (Dry curry)

First time I tasted tindora was at Chennai. At my house we never cook tindora. Tindora is rich in carotene and is good for sugar patients.

Ingredients :

Kovakkai / Tindora - 3 cups (cut lengthwise or in circles )
Onions- 1 large chopped finely
Tomato - 1 large
Ginger - small piece (chopped finely)
Garlic cloves - 2 (chopped finely)
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Chili powder – 1/2-1 tsp or acc to taste
Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 4 to 5 tsp
For seasoning
Mustard seeds- ¼ tsp
Jeera- ¼ tsp
Curry leaves - few
sounf

Wash and cut tindora either lengthwise or in circles. Heat oil in a pan and add mustards and then jeera , saouf and curry leaves. Then to it add onions, ginger and garlic fry it until its cooked. Then add tomatoes and fry it until its cooked. Then add tindora and all the masala items along with salt and add little water and close it with a lid. Once the tindora is cooked remove the lid and let it fry for few minutes depending upon the quantity and the pan you are using it to fry. This sabji goes well with rice and rotti.

Karthigai pori (puffed rice) urrundai

The karithigai pori can be made with either aval pori or nel pori. When we buy pori for karthigai it comes with lot of husk. And during karthigai month preparation starts early. We kids around the house help mom to clean up the pori.

Ingredients:

Pori - 5 cups
jaggrey - 1 cupdried
ginger(chukku) - a piece
coconut pieces - few.
water

Prepare the syrup by boiling 1/2 cup of water with jaggrey. The syrup should be thick. To check the consistency pour few drops of syrup and try to make a small ball out of it. If it’s still soft then you need to boil further until the ball formed makes a thud sound when you throw it on the kitchen counter. Once the syrup is ready quickly add the pori, dried ginger and coconut pieces. At this point you have to be quick mix all the ingredients and make small balls. Pori urundai is ready.

Thattai / Nippatu - Deep fried South Indian snack

My mom is leaving to India next week. So before going she is busy making some goodies for this winter from all the podi's to snacks. She made thattai today. I love thattai as its crunchy and spicy. But as my husband doesn't eat anything that spicy she made thattai less spicy.

Ingredients :

Rice flour - 2 Cup
Urad flour - 2 spoons (heaped)
Hing - a pinch
Butter - 2 spoons
Red chili powder - 1/2 spoon (Adjust according to you taste)
Salt to taste
Pottu Kadalai (Roasted channa daal) - a handful
Oil for frying
Paper towel to make thattais
Water for making dough

Mix all the above ingredients to make a pliable dough. The dough should not be very watery else the thattai will soak oil. It should of poori- dough consistency. Take a small ball of dough and pat them flat on the paper towel to form small discs. This way the moisture from the thattai is absorbed. Make sure the thattai are not too thin else it might brake while frying. Now heat oil and fry them in batches, don't overcrowd the pan. Once it’s cool store it in air tight container.

Nenthranga chips / Banana chips

Nenthraga chips is made from nenthram palam(nenthram banana). This is very famous in Kerala. In Kerala usually this chips are fried in coconut oil. But at home I make it with normal vegetable or canola oil.


Ingredients:
Nenthram banana - 2
oil for frying
salt to taste.

To make chips first cut both the ends of the banana and peel the banana. To peel the banana first cut the banana into half and them make cuts on the skin and try to remove the skin using hand. This way the skin comes off fully so that the chips retains its yellow color when fried. If you use a peeler the chips has the black/brown rim around it. After peeling cut the banana in circular discs and place them on a paper so that each disc is separated and does not stick to each other. This also help to absorb any moisture that is available in the chips. Now season the banana discs with salt before you start frying in oil. Throw the cut pieces one by one so that they don't stick to each other. If you dump all of them together in the oil they stick to each other and becomes soggy. Fry the chips and drain them. This chips is less oily than our potato chips and tastes good.

Note: Some people instead of seasoning the cut banana spray salt water to the oil while frying. This also works, only thing is this makes lot of oil to splatter and is messy

Parrupu Adai

Adai is one of complete tiffin or snack with all the needed protein, carbohydrate and vitamins in case you add the vegetables. It’s very filling too.

Ingredients:
2 cup raw rice (or mix some boiled rice too)
1.5 cup dhals (mix of urud dhal, channa dhal, toor dhal)
Onions chopped
Green chillies -1
red chillies - 1
salt to taste
jeera - 1/2 tps.
black pepper corn - 1/2 tps.
hing a pinch.
Grated carrots - 2
chopped spinach - I use the frozen.
Grated cabbage.
water for grinding.
oil for making adais.

Soak rice and dhal separately for 4 to 6 hours. First grind the rice , green chili , red chili, pepper corns, water and jeera together to course consistency and then finally add all the dhal and grind it for few minutes. The batter should not be smooth like dosa or idly batter it should be course. Then add chopped onion, grated carrots, cabbage, spinach along with salt, jeera and asafodita and mix it well. Let it ferment overnight for best taste or you can start making adais without fermenting too. Heat griddle, smear it with oil and pour a ladle or two of batter and spread it around. Let it cook for a minute or two and then flip it with a spatula and let it cook for few minutes and its ready. Usually adai and avial is good combination, but I like it with normal molagai podi. It tastes good with jaggrey and butter.

Note: If you are making adai for neivadiyum (Karthigai), please omit the vegetables and the onions and the batter should be little thicker. And for neivadiym it is usually made with ghee.

Kadalai Urrundai

It’s a tradition in my in-laws to make kadalai urrundai for karthigai.

Ingredients:
Peanuts - 2 cups
Jaggrey - 1.5 cups
few coconut pieces
2 tabs of rice flour
1/2 cup water

First roast peanuts in a pan until aroma comes. Let it cool and remove the skin off the peanut them by rubbing them between palm. Nowadays you get peeled peanuts which you can roast it directly and cool it. Now make the syrup by boiling water and jaggrey together. Boil the syrup until you get hard ball of jaggrey. To test drop little syrup in a bowl of water and try to gather it. Make a small ball and hit it on the kitchen counter if hear a big sound then the syrup is ready now add the peanuts and the coconut pieces to the syrup. Wait for few minutes until you can handle the heat of the mixture. Once you are ready start making small balls by rubbing the hands with the rice flour so that it doesn't stick to your hands. Kadalia urrundai is ready.

More-appam (Savory Appam made with yogurt)

More-appam is the savory version of the unni-appam that’s made during karthigai.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
2 tbs urud dhal
sour curds/yogurt
few pieces of coconut
mustard seeds for tadka
channa dhal for tadka
green chili 2
few pieces of urud dhal pappad soaked in yogurt.
salt to taste- may be 3/4 to 1 spn.
hing a pinch
Oil for tempering and frying.

Soak rice and urud dhal together for atleast 4 hrs before grinding. Grind rice, urud dhal, green chili , papad soaked in yogurt together in mixer. After grinding temper mustard seeds and chana dhal and add to the batter. Keep the batter for few hours so that the appams are softer and make appams in appa karia as we do for unni appam. Enjoy hot. This makes a great snack with chutney for parties. For karthigai usually we don't mix onions in the batters but on other days you can mix chopped onions in the batter before making appams, it tastes great.

Quicker version.

Day old idly/dosa batter 1 cup
Chick peas flour-besan 3 tbs
chopped onions
chopped chili
oil for tempering and frying
mustard seeds
chana dhal
asafodeita

If you are in a hurry and if it’s not for neivadiyam you can take a day old dosa/idly batter add mix basen , chopped onions, chopped green chili and add mustard and chana dhal tadka to the batter. Now make appams with this batter this tastes great.

Karthigai unni-appam

Karthigai festival is celebrated during November/December when lord Muruga was born. The house is decorated with lamps and mom makes poori urundai, unni-appam(sweet version), moru appam, adai etc. In my in-laws they have the tradition of making kadalai urrundai (peanut-balls).

Ingredients:
1 cup - Raw rice
2 tbs - Urud dhal (ullundu)
1 small banana- ripe
1-cup Jaggrey
Coconut - cut in cubes
cardamom - few pieces
Appa karai - utensil will with small semi-circular holes.
Oil for frying

Soak rice and dhal together for 4-6 hrs and grind it in a mixer / grinder and then finally add banana and the jaggrey to it. See that you use minimum water while grinding the batter as when you add jaggrey the batter becomes little watery. Incase if you want the appam little softer its good idea to grid the batter in the morning and let it ferment till evening or increase the urud-dhal quantity. But a note though, softer appams soak more oil. The appa-karia that my mom has bigger holes and needs lot of oil, but nowadays you get the non-stick version which uses minimum oil and the size of the appam is also tiny.

First heat the appa karai with some oil in all the holes, once the oil is nice hot pour the batter to 3/4 level of each hole wait for a minute or two when you see bubbles with help of the stick prick the appam and turn it around so that it can cook it on the other side too. Wait for a minute or two and then remove them from the appa karai. Then again pour some oil in the holes in case it needs oil for the next batch. For flavor you can also add small quantity of ghee along with oil. Enjoy them hot.

Paal Payasam/ Kheer :

Let’s start with paal-payasam. This is basic sweet that you can expect at any south-Indian’s house during marriages, festivals or on any other special occasion. Growing up whenever my mom made payasam I hated payasam. During school days gulab-jammun or rasagulla were some of my favorite sweets. I somehow got the idea that making gulab-jamun was laborious (Reason being it tasted very good :)). After moving to US, I learnt making gulab-jammun and after few attempts the love for eating gulab-jammuns vanished. I learnt making better tasting sweets and realized that gulab-jammun was a lazy-bum’s sweet. But now let it be any occasion like my daughter's birthday or Tamil new-year the first sweet I make is paal-payasam. The love for tasting paal-payasam may go away but still paal-payasam is one of our traditional sweet. Here goes my mother-in-laws recipe.

Ingredients:

Milk - 2 liters approximate
Sugar - according to the taste.
Rice - 1/4 cup (oru piddichu)
Cardamom
Cashews & raisins
2 tsp ghee.

I make mine in cooker itself so that I need not babysit my payasam. Take a tall vessel and fill it with milk and rice. Wash the rice before you add it to the milk. The milk should not exceed the half the level of the vessel as it needs room for boiling. If the milk exceeds the half the level of the vessel it might overflow. Also throw in a big-spoon for the stirring action and close the cooker. After one whistle now reduce to heat to low and keep it going for 45 mins to 1 hr. The heat should be very low and you should not get any whistle at least for next half an hour. After couple of whistles switch off the cooker. After opening the cooker stir in the sugar according to the taste. Break the cashews into pieces and fry them in ghee and add it to the payasam. Now add the fried raisins and cardamom powder to the payasam. As the milk reduces in the cooker the payasam gets orange color (evaporated milk color). If you feel that the consistency of the payasam is not thick enough, let it go for couple of minutes over the stove and keep stirring. You can serve it hot or chilled. Enjoy.