Fried Chili Idli

          During our visit to Goa in  January 2003, we had this fried chili idli at a restaurant called "Plantain Leaf" in Calangute. It was the first time, I heard of such a dish and we tasted it too. It was yummy, slightly sweet, sour and hot. It was very crunchy. It needs no side dish. We can use left over idlis for this dish. Before tasting this dish, I used to make idli upma ,a with left over idlis. But this is fried "unhealthy" as it is termed. But my son loves this. I make this very rarely, because he also loves to eat idli as such with milagai podi or with groundnut chutney. This can be served as after school snack, with a glass of milk or any juice. Coming to the recipe.

                                                     Fried Chilli Idli

Cuisine: Fusion-Indian
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Left over idlis: 4 to 5 nos
Slit green chilies: 2 nos 
Thinly sliced onion: 1 no
Tomato Ketchup: 1 table spoon
Water to sprinkle
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Sugar: 1/4 tea spoon (Optional) 
Curry leaves: A few
Coriander Leaves: To garnish

Method:
1. Cut the left over idlis into cubes and deep fry them in hot oil, drain oil and keep aside.
2. Cut onions into thin slices and slit green chilies.
3. Place a pan on the stove, add 2 tea spoons of oil, when the oil is hot, add green chilies, curry leaves, onions and fry till onions becomes translucent.
4. Now add the fried idlis and toss well, add salt for onions and sugar, ketchup and mix well in high flame for 3 minutes.
5. Transfer it to a plate and serve.

 
 

Milk Halwa

        There was a always a confusion for me between milk halwa and milk khoa. Recently I learnt it from my mom. She said milk halwa is made by adding ghee, whereas khoa is not so. I like the granular structure of milk halwa.These granules can be achieved using panner (Cottage Cheese) or simply a half tea spoon of fresh curd, it will slightly curdles giving a granular structure.

        Milk halwa reminds me of the old Lala Topiwala Sweet Stall. During my childhood days, after shopping at Purasavakam, my mother used to buy milk halwa from this sweet stall. The taste still lingers in my tongue. This sweet stall was in Gangadareshwar Koil Street, right next to pillaiyar koil in the corner (Junction) of Purasavakam high road and Gangareshwar koil street.

        It was priced somewhere between 3 to 5 rupees then. After our shopping I used to insist my mom to take me to this shop and buy me milk halwa ("Sweet" memories !!!). It was served hot. I never had the patience to wait till it cools down, I often burnt my tongue.

        Now being a mother, I am little hesitant and choosy to buy food stuffs for my son, whatever he names, I somehow browse through the net or magazines or from people to know the recipes and try to make at home. Trail and error method.

        I finally made milk halwa, it was very yummy. Traditionally it is done by boiling milk over a medium flame and reducing it to solid form (Khoa). But I was bit lazy to do this, so I made with unsweetened khoa available in the supermarkets. Here is the recipe.

                                                               Milk Halwa 

 

Cuisine: Indian Sweets                                                                 Ratio
Preparation Time: 10 minutes                                              Khoa : Sugar
Cooking Time: 20 minutes                                                  1 Cup : 1/4 Cup

Ingredients:
Unsweetened Khoa: 1 Cup
Sugar: 1/4 Cup (or more) 
Fresh curd :1 table spoon
Ghee: 1/4 Cup
Badam & Cashews shavings: 2 tea spoons

Method:
1. Crumble the khoa well, put this into a heavy bottomed pan.
2. Place the pan on the stove over a medium flame.
3. Add sugar to the khoa and mix well. The khoa sugar mixture will become semi solid.
4. Keep on stirring and add ghee in between, add cardamon and keep stirring. add curd ,it will granulize
5. After 10 to 15 minutes, it becomes a whole mass leaving the sides of the pan. Switch off the flame and add the remaining ghee if any.
6. Transfer it to a bowl, garnish with badam, cashews shavings and serve hot and enjoy.

Note:
1. This sweet tastes yummy , when hot.
2. When it becomes whole mass, it slightly changes color from half-white to wheatish color.
3. It tastes best when is is in wheatish color, only then it attains the granular structure.
4. The measurement of sugar was fine with me. it was apt, but if you have sweet tooth, you can add more sugar as per your taste.
5. It stays well for 2 to 3 days in room temperature, one week when refrigerated.
 

Vegetable Dum Biryani

   The word Biryani appeared alien to me till recent years.I used to assume that biryani means, a non-vegetarian dish. There was a lot of confusion for me with veg rice, pulao and biryani. I learned that method of cooking, spices used are different for each of these dishes.

   When i went to Hyderabad during Jan, 2015 for Sankaranthi, I happen to see my cousin (Sujatha Akka) cooking biryani. She taught me the method and various spices used in biryani. Thanks to her, before this I was somehow very lazy in knowing the recipe. 

   My son liked her preparation of biryani very much. He wanted me to make him biryani once back home, like the very one, he tasted in my cousin's place.

   So I made, but it turned to an average one, my son however enjoyed it saying, practice makes perfect. So I made it quite a number of times, every time it got better and I was finely able to replicate the taste, texture, color.

   Now he says it is the best. Coming to the recipe.

                                                Vegetable Dum Biryani

Cuisine: Indian
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Soaking Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Dum Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice: 1/2 kg
Carrot: 2 nos
Beans: A hand full
Peas: 1/4 cup
Potato: 1 no (Optional)
Onion: 2 nos (length wise cut and deep fried)
Green Chili: 2 nos 
Curd: 1/2 cup
Ghee: 2 table spoons
Salt to taste
Cashew: A few nos
Water as needed
Ginger garlic paste: 3 tea spoons
Chili Powder: 1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tea spoon
Garam masala: 1 tea spoon

Seasoning:
Shah jeera: 1/2 tea spoon ( Important)
Bay leaf: 2 nos
Cinnamon: 1/2 inch to 2 inch 2 numbers
Star anise: 2
Oil as needed 

For Grinding:
Pudina: 1/2 cup
Coriander: 1/4 cup
Chilies: 2 nos

Method:
1. Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.In the meantime, boil 1 to 1 1/2  liters of water in a bowl.
2. Add the soaked rice to the boiling water and 1/4 tea spoon shahjeera, 1 bay leaf and salt for the rice and stir. Let it cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Put off the flame.
3. Drain the water and put the rice in a steel strainer and add 2 tea spoon of oil, to keep the rice grains separate. Keep it aside.
4. Wash and cut all vegetables to your desired size, let all the vegetables be in uniform size, this makes it to cook evenly.
5. Grind the ingredients given for grinding and keep it ready, beat the curd and keep. Fry the onions till brown and keep
6. Now place a wide heavy bottomed pan or pressure cook of minimum 5 liters on the stove over a high flame.
7. Add 4 tea spoon of oil, 1 table spoon of ghee and fry cashews, take it out and keep it aside.
8. Now in the same oil, ghee add Shahjeera, bay leaf, star anise and fry it for a minute.
9. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off.
10, Add veggies and cook for a minute, now add pudina, coriander paste, chili powder, haldi, garam masala and  mix well.
11. Now add the beaten curd, mix well. simmer it for 5 to 6 minutes.
12. The oil may start to float on the top, now add 1 cup of water for the vegetables to cook, it may take 5 to 7 minutes.
13. Now add the half cooked rice and the fried onions.
14. Now place a tawa and place the biryani cooker over the tawa, this way the bottom part of biryani won't get burnt.
15. Cover the cooker with a cloth to prevent steam from escaping. This type of cooking is called dum.
16. Let this cook for 25 to 30 minutes over a medium flame.
17. Mix well in between, so that every rice grain is cooked with masala. Finally pour the remaining ghee and switch off.
18. Mix well, garnish with cashews and serve hot with onion raitha.

 
 

Masala Dosa

In my childhood, during eat - outs, the food i knew was masala dosa. Whenever i eat out, i will order only masala dosa,this continued  till my marriage. After my marriage, my husband used to tease me. Gradually i changed my preference to other foods. But this masala dosa remains my all time favorite.

                                                        Masala Dosa

Cuisine: South Indian
Fermenting Time: Over night
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Soaking Time: 5 hrs
Cooking Time for Masala: 15 minutes
Cooking Time for Dosa: 2 to 3 minutes
Grinding Time: 1/2 hour

Ingredients for Dosa:

Idli Rice: 2 cups
Raw Rice: 1/4 cup 
Urad dhal: 1/4 cup
Methi Seeds: 1/4 tea spoon
Water as needed
Salt to taste
Oil as needed 

For Masala:
Boiled and Mashed Potato: 3 nos
Green Chilies finely chopped: 2 nos
Boiled Peas: 1/4 cup
Finely chopped Onions: 1 no
Turmeric or Haldi Powder: 1/4 tea spoon
Curry leaves: A few
Finely chopped Coriander: A hand full
Oil as needed

Seasoning:
Saunf: 1/4 tea spoon
Mustard seeds: 1/4 tea spoon
Salt as per taste
Water as needed

Method:
1. Wash and soak together raw rice, idli rice, urad dhal and methi seeds in water till it immerses. Leave it for 5 hours.
2. After 5 hours grind this, in a grinder into a fine smooth paste, transfer this to a air tight container, add salt as per your taste.
3. Allow it to ferment overnight.

For Masala:
1. Wash and pressure cook potatoes and peas in a cooker for 8 to 10 whistles.
2. When the pressure subsides, take it out, peel off the skin of  potatoes and mash it. Keep it aside.
3. Chopp onions and green chilies.
4. Place a kadai on the stove and add 2 tea spoons of oil, when the oil is hot, add saunf, green chilies and fry it for minute.
5. Add chopped onions and stir well till the onions become translucent.
6. Now add the mashed potatoes, peas, turmeric powder and salt as per taste and sprinkle little water and mix thoroughly.
7. Cook it in medium flame for 3 to 5 minutes  until everything blends and put off the flame.
8. Now the masala is ready.
9. When the dosa batter is fermented, mix it thoroughly, the batter should be thick but of pouring consistency.
10. Place a tawa on the stove over a high flame.
11. If you are using Iron tawa, smear oil on it. If non-stick tawa, just pour the batter into circular way, into a thin crepe and sprinkle little oil on top.
12. If you want single side dosa, close it  with a lid or else flip the dosa to other side and cook.
13. Flip it once again and place the masala in centre and close it.
14. Serve it hot with sambar.

 

Vennai or Maida Biscuit

Vennai Biscuit, my favorite during my childhood and even now. We used to buy these from near by bakery. Soft and melts in the mouth.My father used to buy this biscuits after my fever, to ward off the bitterness of my tongue, the after effect of fever. This biscuit can be made on the stove top using a heavy bottomed pressure pan. The recipe is here.
 
                                             Vennai or Maida Biscuit

Ingredients:
All purpose flour or maida: 1 cup
Sugar powdered: 1/4 cup
Cashews:  A few nos
Baking Soda: 1/4 tea spoon
Butter: 2 table spoon
Oil: 2 table spoon
Vanilla essence: A few drops  
Salt: A pinch (Optional)

Method:
1. Take maida in a wide bowl.
2. Powder the sugar in a dry mixie jar to a fine powder.
3. Mix the sugar powder to the maida thoroughly, add butter and oil, baking soda and knead well.
4. The dough consistence should be like - when water is added to sand, slightly powdery and with moisture.
5. This is the right consistency, let it stay for 10 minutes.
6. Shape it out to your desired shape.
7. Place a heavy bottomed pressure pan on the stove over a medium flame for 5 to 10 minutes.
8. After 10 minutes, place the dough cut into desired shape in the pan and cook it with  a lid.
9. After 4 to 6 minutes, nice aroma will come and there maybe slight browning of the biscuits in the bottom.
10. Take it out carefully and place it in a big plate and cool it completely.

Note:
1. While taking the biscuits from the pan, it may be soft,  do not worry, as it cools it will harden.
2. It stays well for a fortnight.
3. Remember to store it in a air tight container.
4. One cup of maida yields 15 to 17 biscuits.
 

Samosa

   Samosa is claimed to have originated in the middle east (Where it is known as Sambosa).         Samosa were introduced to our country in the 13th or 14th century by travelers from Central Asia.
Samosa are favorite for many of us. It is available in all parts of India as a very popular street snack.

                                                                       Samosa

Cuisine: Indian variant: Punjabi
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes 

Ingredients:
All Purpose flour or maida: 1 cup
Ajwain/Omam: 1/4 tea spoon
Salt as needed
Oil for frying
Maida: 2 tea spoon
Water as needed

For Stuffing:

Boiled potato: 3 nos
Boiled Peas: 50 gms
Garam masala: 1/4 tea spoon
Chili powder: 1/4 tea spoon
Finely chopped green chili: 1 no
Grated ginger: 1/4 tea spoon
Jeera Powder: 1/4 tea spoon
Turmeric/ Haldi: 1/4 tea spoon
Cashews: A few numbers (Optional)
Refined Oil: 2 tea spoon
Finley chopped onion: 1 no
Salt to taste
Water as needed

Method: 
1. Take maida in a wide bowl, add ajwain seeds and salt and 1 tea spoon of hot oil and knead it into soft dough by adding water little by little
2. Close the bowl with a lid and keep it aside. Let it rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime prepare the stuffing.
3. Pressure cook potatoes for 7 to 8 whistles, so that the potatoes will be mashy.
4. Boil peas separately and keep.
5. When the pressure subsides take the potatoes and peel off the skin and mash it and keep.
6. Place a pan or kadai on the stove over a high flame, add 2 tea spoons of oil, add the green chilies fry it for less than a minute, add in chopped onions, and fry till it becomes translucent, add grated ginger.
7. Add mashed potatoes and boiled peas and add in chili powder, garam masala, salt, haldi and mix well, sprinkle little water.
8. Close it with lid and cook it for 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Put off the flame and add jera powder and mix thoroughly. Let the mixture cool completely.
10. Now take the maida dough, make lemon size balls out of it.
11. Take one ball and roll it out into chapatis of even thickness.
12. Cut it into half.( ie) two semi circles.
13. Make a paste with the 2 tea spoons of maida,by adding little water.
14. Smear this maida paste evenly over the corners and fold it into cone shape.
15. Place the stuffing inside the cone and seal the edges completely. 
16. Make all the samosas in a similar manner and keep.
17. Place a pan with oil for frying over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, drop in the samosa and fry till golden brown, two at a time.
18. Drain oil and take it out and serve hot with ketchup or mint chutney.

Note:
1. After rolling into chapatis, flip it over a hot tawa to take out the moisture, so that samosas will stay crisp and flaky.
2. For 1 cup o maida, it yields 12 samosas. 


 
  

Groundnut Burfi (Chikki or Kadala mittai)

A very healthy sweet for kids as it is made out of jaggery. Powdering peanut (Coarsely) with jaggery needs no syrup string consistency. ie, "Paagu padam".   The recipe is simple with only a few ingredients and few steps.

                          Groundnut Burfi (Chikki or kadaala mittai) 

Cuisine: Indian
Preparation Time: 10 minutes 
Cooking Time: 10 to 12 minutes

Ingredients:
Roasted groundnut: 1/2 cup
Jaggery: 1/4 cup
Water: 2 tea spoon
Cardamon: 2 pods well powdered 
Ghee: 3 tea spoon plus 1 1/2 tea spoon for greasing plate

Method:
1. Dry roast the peanut until nice fine brown spots  appear on it. 
2. Let it cool completely.
3. Take the skin out of the peanuts and transfer it into mixie jar. Powder or pound jaggery.
4. Add jaggery to the mixie jar, cardamon pods with out skin.
5. Pulse it once or twice to a coarse powder.  
6. Place a pan on the stove over a medium flame, add 1 tea spoon ghee and add the peanut jaggery powder and mix it well.
7. Add the remaining ghee and stir continuously, it will start to leave the pan and will become a rounded mass.
8. Grease a plate with ghee and pour the mixture and flatten it.
9. Let it cool for 5 to 7 minutes, cut it into your desired shapes and store in a air tight container.
10. It stays well for 10 days.

Note:
1. Remember use dry hands while storing and also while taking burfis  out of the container.
2. Wet hands may spoil the kadaalai mittai

French Fries

All time favorite for kids, this snack can be made at home, just like in restaurants. Few steps that too very important ones has to be followed, to achieve restaurant style french fries. The recipe is simple, needs only a few things.

                                                         French Fries

Ingredients:
Fresh Potatoes Big: 2 numbers
Salt to taste
Water as needed
Refined oil for fryig
Pepper powder: 1/2 tea spoon

Method:
1. Wash and peel the potatoes, cut it into finger-like strips. Keep this submerged in water, to avoid blackening.
2. Boil 1 litre of water in a sauce pan with salt as needed for potatoes.
3. When the  water is boiling, add the potatoes and simmer it for 5 minutes. Then put off the flame.
4. Drain the water immediately and pass the potatoes  through running cold water.
5. Drain it completely and pat dry the potatoes and there should be no moisture in it. 
6. Place a pan or kadai on the stove over a medium flame with oil for frying.
7. When the oil is hot, drop in the potatoes and fry till it becomes crisp.
8. Drain oil and take it out, sprinkle with pepper and serve hot with ketchup or mayonnaise. 

Note:
1. Use only fresh potatoes, so that it won't caramelize (ie, it will not become brown while frying).
2. Remember to pass the potatoes through cold running water after boiling, as it brings down the temperature and avoids further cooking.
 

Channa Batura

Channa Masala reminds me of hot, spicy tangy street food. Kavin's most favorite, he likes to eat it with out any chapatis or puri, topped with freshly chopped onions, he says its yummy.

                                                   Channa Batura

Cuisine: Punjabi                                                                               
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
cooking Time: 35 minutes
Resting Time (Bature): 20 minutes
Soaking Time (Channa): Overnight

Ingredients:

For Chole masala: 
Channa: 200 gms
Onions: 2 numbers big
Tomato: 1 number big
Cashews: A few
Chili Powder: 1/2 tea spoon
Chole  masala: 1/2 tea spoon
Ginger garlic paste: 1/2 tea spoon
Chat masala: 1/2 tea spoon ( Optional)
Salt to taste

For Seasoning: 
Cinnamon: 1/2 inch stick
Cardamon: 2 numbers
Jeera: 1/2 tea spoon
Bay leaf: 1 number
Oil as needed
Water as needed

For Bature:
All purpose flour or maida: 1 cup
Sooji or Rava: 1 table spoon
Sugar: 1/4 table spoon
Water as needed
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:
1. Wash and soak channa overnight.  Pressure cook it for 7 to 8 whistles
2. When the pressure subsides open the cooker and keep it aside.
3. Boil 1/2 litre water in a sauce pan, add tomatoes and cashews and put off the flame and cool it completely.
4. Once when it is cool, transfer the contents to a mixie jar and make it into fine paste and keep it aside.
5. Finely chopp the onions and keep
6. Place a pan on the stove over  a medium flame, when hot add 3 tea spoon of oil, add in cinnamon, jeera, bay leaf and cardamon and fry it for a minute.
7. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off, it may take 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Now add the cooked channa and mix well, add chili powder and mix thoroughly.
9. Add the tomato cashew paste and add 1 1/2 cups of water and simmer it.
10.  Let it boil for 10 to 12 minutes or till the oil floats on the top.
11. Add channa masala and chat masala in this stage and mix thoroughly and put of the flame.
12. Transfer the contents to a serving bowl. Serve it hot with puri's or bature with a slice of lemon and topped with chopped onions.

For Bature:
Method:

1. take maida, rava, sugar, salt in a wide bowl.
2. Add water little by little and make soft dough. Keep it aside for 20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, place a pan on the stove over a medium flame. Add enough oil for fry bature's.
4. Fry the bature in the oil, it will puff up and drain oil and take it out.
5. Serve it hot with chole masala.

Note:
1. Adding sugar to the  dough for bature, makes it fluffy and it stays fluffy for a long duration.
2. Adding rava makes it crisp outside and soft inner.
3. Adding chat masala and onions and lemon wedges are optional.
4. The oil should be very hot or otherwise the bature won't puff up.


 

Chocolate Milkshake with Ice cream

  Chocolate milkshake is yet an easy recipe and favorite for kids. That  too with chocolate ice cream was yummy. All you need is a few ingredients to make, here it is
                                  Chocolate Milkshake with Ice Cream

 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
Boiled and cooled milk: 1 cup
Sugar: 2 tea spoon
Cocoa Powder: 2 tea spoon
Cashews: A few to garnish
Fresh Cream: 1/4cup (Optional)

Method:
1. In a mixie jar powder sugar and cocoa to a fine powder.
2. Then add cold milk and pulse it once, pour it into a tall glass.
3. Add fresh cream and top it with ice cream and garnish with nuts and serve it chilled.