Gobi Mancurian

This is a dry version of Gobi Manchurian served as an appetizer. I have adapted this recipe from ShowMeTheCurry.com. We can reduce the spice and kids can also enjoy this dish.


For Frying

Cauliflower - 1
Corn starch - 2 tbsp
all purpose flour- 1 cup
black pepper
salt to taste
oil - for frying

Cut the cauliflower into bite size florets.

Mix the allpurposeflour with corn starch,black pepper, salt and water in a
consistency where you can dip the florets and fry it in the oil.

For the sauce

Onion - 1
Soy sauce - 1/4 cup
red chilli sauce - 2 tsp
green chilli - 2
garlic - 6-7 cloves
tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
white vinegar - 2 tsp
corn starch - 2 tsp
oil -2tbsp
green onions for garnish
coriander leaves for garnish

Method

Cut the onions and garlic into small pieces.
In a pan add the oil. When it is hot add the onion and fry it . Add the garlic and green chillies and fry. Then add the red chili sauce, Soy sauce, tomato ketchup and white vinegar. When it is cooked and the oil starts to come out add 1/4 cup water and corn starch. The corn starch act as a thickening agent.
When it all comes together add the fried florets. Garnish with green onions and coriander leaves and serve immediately. When you mix the florets with the thick sauce be careful so that it doesn't break.

PS: Also you can prepare the sauce ahead and fry the florets just before it is ready to serve and mix.

Masal Dosa

Ingredients

Dosa Batter

For masal

Potatoes -2
Onion – 1
Turmeric pdr –little
Salt to taste
Asafetida – a pinch
Green chillies -1
Ginger – small piece

For seasoning

Oil -1 tsp
Mustard seeds,cumin seeds,Channa dal,urad dal – ½ tsp each
Curry leaves – 3-4 nos

Method

Pressure cook the potatoes adding salt. Peel the skin. Mash it.

Add 1 tsp oil to a pan. Add the mustard seeds,cumin seeds,urad dal,channadal. When it pops add asafetida,curry leaves and onions. Fry them till light brown. Add mashed potatos and turmeric pdr and mix well. Add salt if necessary. The Masal should be thick.

Take a ladle of dosa batter and spread it on the pan. Pour ¼ tsp ghee instead of oil.
When it is cooked one side. Turn it and just cook for 2 seconds and turn again.
Place the masal in the middle and close both sides.

You can eat it with sambar or chutney.

Nombu Adai(Sweet and Salt)

I was searching recipes of Thiruvathira kali . Though I found it at AmmuPattis Thought I also came across recipe for Nonbu adai. This is one of my favourite festival food. This is made once a year on the day of Nonbu which usually falls on the day month of panguni and masi overlaps.
The story is that Savithri fought Yama the god of death and won the life of her husband Satyavan by praying. So on the day of Nombu at a specific time married ladies and young girls tie yellow thread(manjal chardu) and pray for the long life of their husbands and a good husband to be.
Nonbu Adai is made and offered as neivedyam .
Though nonbu comes next year I prepared nonbu adai for an evening Tiffin during the weekend. I used the same recipe on Ammupattis thoughts.

But I am writing it again
To make rice flour - You can soak 2 cups rice in water for 2 hrs. Then spread it on a towel to dry for 4-5 hrs. Powder it in the mixie. Sift it . You can pre make this rice flour and put it in a tight container.

Sweet Nonbu Adai

Ingredients:

rice flour- 1 cup
water - 1 1/2 cup
Elaichi powder - 1/4 tsp
finely chopped fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
jaggery - 1 cup
boiled black eyed beans (Also known as chavali, lobiya or karamani) - 1/4 cup

Method

1. Roast rice flour for 5-10 min. Do not let it change color.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a pan and add the jaggery
3. Add elaichi powder and let the liquid come to a boil
4. Add the boiled beans and coconut and mash it well with a wooden spatula.
5. Turn the heat down and slowly add the roasted rice flour and mix it into the liquid as smoothly as possible without letting it form any lumps and take it off the heat once you have gathered the whole mixture together. The mixture should be of the consistency of chappati dough probably a little harder.
6. Once the dough cools down, make them into small balls. Grease idli plates with ghee or oil Press the balls into medium thin round shape. Make a small hole in the middle. Steam for 7-10mins.
7. Serve hot with unsalted butter.

Salty Nonbu Adai

Ingredients:

rice flour - 1 cup
water - 1 1/2 cup
Green chillie finely chopped (1-2)
finely chopped fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves chopped (4-5)
boiled black eyed beans (Also known as chavali, lobiya or karamani) - 1/4 cup
Asafoetida (hing) a pinch
Salt to taste
oil - 1 tbs
Mustard seeds-1 tsp


Method

1. Roast rice flour for 5-10 min. Do not let it change color.
2. In a pan heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When they have burst open, add chillies and curry leaves and fry them for 1 min. Then add the water and let it boil.
3. Add the hing and salt to the boiling water
4. Add the boiled beans and coconut
5. Turn the heat down and slowly add the roasted rice flour and mix it into the liquid as smoothly as possible without letting it form any lumps and take it off the heat once you have gathered the whole mixture together. The mixture should be of the consistency of chappati dough probably a little harder.
6. Once the dough cools down, make them into small balls . Grease idli plates with ghee or oil press the small balls into medium thin rounds.Make a small hole in the center. Steam for 7-10mins.
7. Serve hot with unsalted butter.
   

Rice Kozhakkattai

Ingredients
Raw rice – 2 cups
Water – 1 ½ cup
Salt to taste
Asafetida- apinch
Oil – 1 tsp

Seasoning

Oil,musturd seeds, channa dal, urad dal- 1tsp each
red Chilli -2
Curry leaves - 4-5nos.

Method

Soak the rice for 2 hrs. drain it and let it dry for 4 hrs. grind it into rava consistency. Lightly fry it in a pan and keep it aside.

In a pan add 1 tsp oil. Add mustard seeds,channa dal, urad dal ,redchilli and curry leaves.When mustard seeds pop add water. Add salt and asafoetida. When the water boils add the ground rice . Stir continuously it will start to thicken. Add 1 tsp oil and mix well. Off the heat and let it sit for 10 mnts. Make it into oval balls. Keep it on oil coated idli plate and steam it for 10 mnts.

Serve it hot with sambar or chutney.

Idiappam & Vegetable Curry

Idiappam

Idiappam flour – 2 cups
Salt to taste
Water enough to add in the flour.
Coconut gratings

Method

Add salt to the flourand mix well.
Boil the water and add enough to the flour to make a soft dough.
Wet your hands and put enough dough into the idiappam press.
Make idiappam on oil coated idli plates, sprinkle some coconut grating and steam it for 10 mnts.

Vegetable Curry

Potato -1, carrot – 1, peas – 1 cup, broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, beans – 6 nos.
Onion – 1
Coconut milk – ½ cup
Badam – 5nos.
Green chlilli – 2
Ginger – small piece
Saunf – 1tsp
Cardamom – 2 nos
Turmeric pdr – 1tsp
Ghee – 1 tsp
Coconut oil -1tsp
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method

Cut all the vegetables into cubes and boil it adding salt and turmeric pdr. Keep little of the vegetable broth and drain the rest.
Fry onion lightly in 1 tsp ghee and grind it with badam,greenchillies,ginger ,saunf and cardamom.
Add 1 tsp ghee and put the ground mixture. After a minute add the vegetables and enough vegetable broth.
When it boils add the coconut milk. Boil it for 2 more mnts in low flame and off the heat.
Garnish it with curry leaves and a drizzle of coconut oil.

Tomato-Onion Dosa

Ingredients

Tomato – 2
Onion – 1
Sambar pdr – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Dosa Batter

Seasoning

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp

Method

In a hot pan add oil. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds .When it splutters add the cut onions and fry. Add sambar pdr and salt .When it start to turn light brown add tomatoes
and fry till it cooks and start to thicken add 1 tsp oil and make it thick.



Make Dosa. When both the side of dosa are cooked spread the tomato-onion mix on half the dosa.
Fold the dosa and serve it with hot sambar.

This dosa can be eaten as it is with out side dish.

Puttu & Black Channa Curry

For making puttu a special utensil is used named puttukutty or micro puttu. In Kerala puttu curry is a breakfast item. It is a steamed rice cake served with channadal in gravy or pappadam and ripe plantains.




To Make Puttu




Ingredients:

Raw Rice – 2 cup
Grated Coconut – 1 cup
Water to sprinkle
Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak rice in water for 3- 4 hrs, then drain it . Place a cloth or news paper on a flat surface and put the rice on it and spread it.
2. Let it sit for another one hr or till it is completely dry.
   
3. Dry roast it keeping in sim till the rice become hot.It should not change colour at all. Keep it aside to cool down.
   
4. Grind it to make powder.It need not be too fine,but little coarse like rawa.If you donot need the whole 2 cups you can store it in a tight container in the freezer and use it later.
5. Mix salt with water sprinkle this to the powdered rice just to make the powder wet. Tightly combine the flour into a hill shape(it will not loose its moisture) and close it with a lid. Let it stand for 5 mnts.
6. Put the wet rice flour in the mixie.Add 1 tsp grated coconut and pulse it 1-2 times.
7. Put 1 tsp of grated coconut in the puttukutty and then put rice powder till half then add another tsp of grated coconut.
8. This is done till the top. Close with the lid steam it for 5-7 mts in cooker.
9. With a long needle it is pushed out (it has a hole in the bottom) to a plate.
   

Hot puttu goes well with black channa curry.

Black Channa Curry


Ingredients

Black channa -1 cup
Grated coconut- ½ cup
Onion-1 large
Tomato – ½
Tamarind – small sized ball
Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
Green Chilli or red chilli – 2
Ginger – 1 small piece
Salt to taste
Coconut oil – 3 tsp
Curry leaves – 6

Method

1. Soak the Channa over night.Cook it adding salt and water in the pressure cooker.
2. Cut the onions and tomatoes. Make tamarind juice.
3. In a pan add 1 tsp coconut oil. Add the onion to the oil and fry it. Add coriander seeds,Green/red chillies and grated coconut. Fry till the coconut is light brown. Add the tomatoes , ginger and 3 curry leaves. Grind the fried mixture adding tamarind juice.
4. Add 1 tsp oil and pour the ground mixture in the pan Add the Cooked channa to it. Add little water if necessary. Add salt to taste and cook it for 7-10 mnts in medium flame.
5. Garnish it with curry leaves and drizzle some coconut oil in the end.

Puri Masal

Puri

Whet flour-1cup
Maida- 1 cup
Butter – 1 tbsp
Salt-1tsp
Warm water to make dough
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients.Add water little by little till it becomes a dough.knead it well and make it into a thick dough.Keep it closed for 1/2hr to 1 hr.
2. Make it into small balls and flatten it with a rolling pin.
3. Heat oil in a kadai.When the oil is hot(smoke slowly start to appear) put the puris one by one into the oil and deep fry it. 4. When puris gets puffed up and turns golden brown, turn around do the same, drain it on a paper towel.

Serve hot with masal.

Masaal

Potatoes : 6
Peas-1/4 cup
Carrots(diced)-1/4 cup
Onion : 1 medium, chopped
Tomatoes(finely cut) – 1/2
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Salt - To taste
Water - 1 1/2 cups

Seasoning
Oil: 1 tblsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Chana dal : 1 tblsp
Urad dal-1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves : 4
Green chilli : 2, finely chopped (you can add more)
Ginger : 1 tblsp, grated
Hing - a pinch
Cilantro chopped

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in Pressure cooker and peel it.
   When potatoes are cool enough to touch, coarsely crumble using your hands.Cook the peas and carrot in boiling water and drain and keep aside
   
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When seeds begin to pop, add chana dal, urad dal,cumin seeds,hing and fry it till light brown. Add the onions and fry till golden brown. Add curry leaves, ginger, green chillies. Add the finely cut tomatoes.
3. Add potatoes, peas, carrots and turmeric powder. Saute for a few seconds.
   Add salt. Let this cook till the masal get a semi-solid consistency. Turn the heat off. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with Puris. This will go equally well with Phulkas/chapatis.

Idli/Dosa

Idli/Dosa batter

Ingrdients

boiled rice/idli rice - 4 cups
Urad dal - 1 cup(preferably whole urad dal)
methi seeds - 1 tsp

Method

Soak rice in water for 8-10 hrs.
Soak urad dal and methi in water for 3- 4hrs.





Grind the urad dalmethi and keep it aside. Grind the rice in a grinder. Then add the ground urad dal into it and grind again for 15-20 minutes.








When the batter is smooth add salt, mix well and pour it in a big vessel and keep it to ferment over night (8-10hrs).









To make Idli :Mix the batter well. Fill idli plates(coat the plates with oil) with batter. Keep it in cooker. Steam it for 15mts.








To make Dosa :Add little water so that it is semi liquid consistensy. Pour 1 ladle full of batter and spread evenly and round. Pour 1 tsp oil/ghee on the side. After about 1/2 a minute, turn the dosa on the other side and let it roast equally on both the sides.

Idli/Dosa can be served hot with Coconut Chutney or Sambar.

Uthappam

Ingredients
idli batter - 2 cups
curd - 1 laddle
soda - 1/4 tsp
onion - 1 small cup(finely cut)
carrot -1 small cup (grated)
capsicum
greenchillies - 2
ginger - 1 tsp(grated)
tomato - 1 small cup(finely cut)

Method

Keep the idli batter at room temperature for 4-5 hrs.
Add curd,soda and all vegetables to it 1/2hr before preparing.
In a hot tawa pour a laddle full of batter in the centre, spread
with the back of the laddle into a thick small round.
Pour a tsp. of ghee or oil over it.
Then the dosa maybe turned over on the pan, and partially fried.

Serve it hot with coconut chutney.