Pineapple Pudding or Pineapple Kesari

                                                Pineapple Pudding 
                                               or 
                                     Pineapple Kesari

     Pineapple has an unique smell, which is liked and disliked by many. Pineapple can not be consumed raw, it has to be boiled in sugar syrup and can be eaten - discarding syrup. Eating raw pineapple may cause itching in the tongue. 
     So whenever I buy pineapple, I used to boil it in sugar syrup for about 15 minutes, cool it and then refrigerate. 

Selecting a Pineapple:  
The pineapple should be firm. It will give a little to firm pressure. The pineapple should be heavy for its size.

How to Cut:
1. Place the pineapple on its side, use a cutting board, cut the crown and the stem off, using a sharp knife cut them both off about a half inch.
2. Stand the pineapple up on the end, slice the skin off the sides, going from top to bottom. Cut as thinly as possibly.
3. Remove the eye spots, eye spots will all line up in diagonal rows on the pineapple. Cut a V shaped groove along the diagonal line to remove each set of eye spots. The remaining flesh is ready for cutting now.
4. Cut the pineapples into circles. Lay the peeled pineapple on its side and cut slices around 3/4  inch thick.
5. Depending on the quantity of slices, add sugar, water and  boil it for 15 minutes.
For Example: 10 slices, 1/2 cup sugar, 1& 1/2 cup water  or till it immerses the pineapple slices.
6. Drain the water and store it after it has cooled down completely. 
7. Keep it refrigerated.

         Pineapple kesari is commonly served in marriages as a classic sweet in the breakfast menu. If you are diet conscious avoid ghee, but ghee adds flavour and taste. 

Cuisine: South Indian
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Yields: Serves 4

Ingredients:
Pineapple slices finely chopped: 1/4 cup
Rava or Sooji: 1 cup
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Yellow food colour or Turmeric: 1/4 teaspoon
Cooking Oil: 2 tea spoons
Ghee: 2 table spoons
Cardamom: 2 pods crushed (Optional) 
Cashew: 8 to 10 nos
Raisins: a few (Optional)
water: 1 & 1/4 cup

Method:
1. Take a heavy bottomed pan or kadai, place it on the big burner over high flame.
2. Pour the rava and dry roast the rava till aroma comes, be careful not to burn it.
3. Take it out and pour in a plate to cool.
4. In the same pan, add 1 & 1/4 cup of water and heat it, add food colour now.
5. When the water is about to boil, simmer the flame and gently add the rava slowly and at the same time stir well so that no lumps are formed.
6. Let it cook. When the rava is completely cooked, add sugar. The sugar will melt and the kesari will become flowy.
7. Add pineapple chunks and add 1 table spoon of ghee and 2 tea spoons of oil and mixwell.
8. Close it with a lid. Let it cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Place a small pan, add 1 table spoon of ghee. When it is hot, add cashews and fry till it becomes golden brown. Put off the flame and add this to the kesari and mix well.
10. Transfer the pineapple kesari to a serving bowl. Serve it hot.

 

Veg Grilled Sandwich

                                                  Veg Grilled Sandwich

        This can be called a snack or a complete meal. The sandwich remains in the top of the wish list of after-schools eat to my son. He likes bread in the form of toasts or sandwich very much. All thanks to my Father - in - law, who initiated my son's habit of relishing bread.
            As a child he relished bread with orange flavoured  glucose sprinkled liberally over it. Now as a teenager he likes to have it as toast or Indianized sandwiches.

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

Ingredients:
Sandwich Bread Slice: 8 to nos
Finely sliced Cucumber: 1/2 no
Finely sliced Onion: 1 no
Finely sliced Carrot: 1 no
Finely sliced Capsicum: 1 no 
Finely sliced Tomato: 1 no
Butter or Oil: 2 table spoons
Egg-less Mayonnaise: 2 table spoons (Optional)

For Green Chutney:
Pudina: 1/ 2 cup tightly packed
Coriander: 1/ 4 cup tightly packed
Garlic: 2 pods
Green chilli: 1 no
Onion: 1/2 roughly chopped

Method:
1. Grind the ingredients mentioned for the chutney in a mixie jar into a fine smooth paste.
2. Finley slice all the vegetables and keep it ready.
3. Take a slice of bread, apply green chutney generously and arrange the vegetables.
4. Take another slice of bread and spread the mayonnaise and place it on the first slice, to make a sandwich.
5. Toast it in a sandwich toaster with little butter.
6. Take it out once it is golden brown.
7. Cut into a triangular shape and serve hot with any dip or ketchup.

  Note:
   1.If you do not have a sandwich toaster ,you can toast it in a tawa.

Egg-less Caramel Fruit Cake in Cooker or Egg-less Plum Cake (Commonly called)

                   Egg-less Caramel Fruit Cake in Cooker
                                                or
                  Egg-less Plum Cake (Commonly Called) 

      Now, is the right season to make plum cake as the climatic conditions flavour, the cake baking. The cold climate enables in keeping the cake moist. As Christmas holidays approach, we can bake these cake as little treat to kids. I tried this cake a few years back, now I wanted to give it a try in a pressure cooker. 
         Some people suggest to use an empty  pressure cooker with lid and no gasket. But this leaves dark colouration in the bottom of the cooker and thereby reducing its life. In some cookery show, I saw that common salt is filled up to an inch in the bottom of the cooker and the baking tray is placed over a stand and over the stove on a medium flame.

Cuisine: Indian Adapted
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Soaking Time: 1 day 
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1:1:20 mts
Yields : 1 kg

Ingredients:
Maida: 240 gms or 1 & 1/4 cups
Sugar: 100 gms
Water: 2 table spoons + 1/2 cup
Cinnamon powder: 1/4 teaspoon 
Cardamom powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Clove powder: a pinch 
Nutmeg powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon
Baking powder: 1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil: 1/3 cup

For Soaking:
Tutti fruity chopped: 30 gms
karonda cherry chopped: 30 gms 
Cashew chopped: 20 gms
Badam chopped: 20 gms
Dry Fig chopped: 20 gms
Dates chopped: 20 gms
Raisins: 20 gms (Full)
Orange Juice (I used Tropicanna):  1 cup 

For Cooker Preparation:
Common salt: 1/2 kg 
Steel Stand: 1 no

Method:

For Soaking:
1. Chop all the dried fruit and soak it in 1 cup of orange juice and refrigerate it overnight.
2. Take it out and let it reach room temperature.

Preparing for Cake mix:
1. Sift maida, baking soda, baking powder and take it in a wide bowl for mixing. 

Preparing Caramel Syrup:
1. Take a sauce pan, place it on stove over the small burner on a high flame.
2. Add 100 gms sugar and 2 table spoons of water and stir continuously.
3. The sugar will melt, keep on stirring, till the syrup turns to honey colour. This is Caramel.
4. Now reduce the flame and add 1/2 cup water little by little, it will splutter do not panic, keep on stirring, but be careful, it may solidify. Now rise the flame and keep on stirring. 
5. It will melt and become liquid once again, switch it off. Let it cool down to room temperature. 
6. Once it is cool, add 1/3 cup of oil to it and mix well.
7. Now take the sifted maida with spices mix and add the soaked dry fruits in one go.
8. Add the caramel to the above in one go and gently fold it. Do not mix.
9. Fold until everything is blended well.
10. Grease a container and dust it with maida.
11. Now pour the cake mix into the container.

Preparing the pressure cooker: 
1. Place a 7 & 1/2 litre pressure cooker over the big burner on a medium flame.
2. Add 1/2 kg of common salt into it and place a stand. Heat it for 5 minutes, this is pre-heating.
3. After 5 minutes place the container with cake mix on the stand and close the cooker with the lid, never forget to remove the gasket.
4. It will take approximately an hour to bake, insert a knife and check if the knife comes out clean with no batter sticking, then the cake is done.
5. If some batter sticks, then bake it for some more minutes, till the knife comes out clean.
6. Once it is cool, cut it into wedges or slices of your preference.

Note:
1.  Remember to remove the gasket, the high heat may melt the gasket. So always remove it.
2. Folding the batter means in the same direction, ie if you do it clockwise, it should be only clockwise till the batter is blended with dry fruits and caramel.
  

Home Made Chocolate

                                           Home made Chocolate

        I learnt this recipe from Leelavathy aunty, my then house owner in 2004. when we went  to her house, she used to offer this chocolate to my son, who was 2 and a half years old at that time. I was hesitant to give him chocolate but she convinced me saying, this is home made with no preservatives. when i tasted it, it was very similar to the chocolates available during childhood days, roasted chocolaty flavour with mild sweetness.
            My little son used to grab these chocolate and munch it away. Unlike the home made chocolate available in Kodai and Ooty this one does not melt at room temperature. It doesn't even need to be refrigerated. So do not worry about giving it to kids.

Cuisine: Indian
Preparation Time: 10 minutes 
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
Milkmaid or Any condensed milk: 1 tin
Butter: 50 gms
Sugar: 100 gms
Cocoa: 2 table spoons
Milk: 2 table spoons

Method:
1. Take a heavy bottomed pan, empty the entire contents of milkmaid into it.
2. Add the whole of butter, sugar in powdered form.
3. Mix cocoa in little milk and add it to the above.
4. Now put the pan on the stove over high flame and stir continuously, it will bubble. 
5. It may take nearly 30 minutes.
6. when  the liquid starts to solidify,simmer and keep on stirring
6. The bubbles may appear like rain water, when touches the ground.
7. It reaches rounded off consistency.( Ie) it will come out off the pan.
8. Then pour it in a greased plate and cut into pieces. Let it cool.
9. Store the cut pieces in an airtight container.

Note:
1. It stays well for one month without refrigeration. 

Kara Sev

                                                          Kara Sev

               Popular snack of Tamilnadu, Sattur, a small town in Virudhunagar district is famous for kara sev. My husband's favourite snack, It is an easy snack and can be had a munchies, all through the day. Only a few ingredients are needed to make this.

Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes for 1 batch 
Serves or Yields: 200 gms

Ingredients:                                                                                      Ratio
Besan flour: 3/4 cup                                                                      Rice : Besan flour
Rice flour: 1/4 cup                                                                              1 : 3  
Pounded pepper: 10 to 15 nos                                                          
Salt to taste
Asofotedia: a pinch
Hot oil: 2 tea spoons
Cooking oil: enough for frying 

Method:
1. Seive rice flour and besan flour and put it in a wide bowl.
2. Add hot oil, salt, pounded pepper, asofotedia and mix well
3. Sprinkle water little by little and knead it into very soft dough. 
4. Take the murukku presser with murukku mould and fill it with the dough.
5. Heat enough oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium flame.
6. Squeeze or press this dough gently into the hot oil and fry till the bubbles settles down.
7. Drain excess oil and take it out. 
8. Crumple the fried kara sevs roughly with your hands, when it is completely cooled. 
9. Store it in a air tight container. It stays well for over a fortnight.

Note:
1. If you want to use chilli powder (1/2 teaspoon), you can use it for extra spicy. But chilli powder while frying in hot oil cause quick browning and also gives a burnt flavour. 

 

Punjabi Mushroom Masala

                                            Punjabi Mushroom Masala

         Not a very popular dish, but available in a dhabba menu and is quite easy to make. It goes well with rotis, phulkas and also jeera rice. With my son being a big fan of Punjabi dishes, I make this gravy for roti's.

Cuisine: Punjabi
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Fresh Button Mushrooms: 200 gms 
Roughly chopped Onion: 2 nos
Roughly chopped Tomato: 1 no big 
Roughly chopped Ginger: 2 inch piece or 2 tea spoons
Garlic pods: 9 to 11 nos
Soaked Cashews: 8 to 10 nos
Kasuri Methi: 1 teaspoon finely chopped
Cooking Oil: 3 tea spoons
Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Shah jeera: 1 teaspoon

Method:
1. Wash the mushrooms thoroughly and roughly cut into pieces. Keep is aside. 
2. Roughly chopp onion tomato, ginger, garlic and fry it with 1 teaspoon of oil for 5 to 7 minutes till the onions caramelize and tomatoes becomes mushy. Let it cool down completely.
3. When it comes to room temperature, grind it in a mixie jar to a fine smooth paste.
4. Place a heavy bottomed pan on the stove over high flame. When it is hot, add 3 tea spoons of oil and heat it.
5. When the oil is hot, add shah jeera and let it splutter, now add the onion tomato puree and simmer the flame.
6. Keep stirring till the oil floats on the top.
7. Now add mushrooms, it will give out some water and when all of it  is absorbed, add chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Mix well.
8. Now simmer the gravy till the raw flavour of chilli goes off.
9. Make a fine smooth paste of soaked cashews in a mixie jar and add the paste to the gravy, mix well. Cook till the cashew paste is completely cooked.
10. Add kasuri methi and mix well. Let it cook for a few minutes till the oil floats on the top.
11. Put off the flame and transfer it to a serving bowl.

Note:
1. After chopping mushrooms, keep them immersed in water, otherwise mushrooms may turn black in colour.

 

Rava Kichidi or Vegetable Upma

                                Rava Kichidi or Vegetable Upma

         Rava kichidi is a popular breakfast recipe of Tamilnadu. North India's Dhal Kichadi is entirely different from this one. Many restaurants serve this rava kichidi as breakfast and dinner food.This rava kichadi can be considered as an one-pot meal, since it is sumptuous and tasty.
        Rava kichidi or upma is a dreaded word for many, they dislike it without any reason. In my family upma is liked by all. So I make it at least once in a week. Rava roasted to perfection, right amount of oil and ghee, caramelized onions and par-cooked vegetables, small amount of spices and apt salt gives the rava kichidi nice aroma and good taste.

Cuisine: South Indian 
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Yields: Serves 3 to 4 

Ingredients:
Sooji or Bombay rava: 1&1/2 cups
Finely diced Carrot: 1 no
Finely diced Fresh Beans: 7 to 8 nos
Finely diced Potato: 1 small no (Size of a lemon)
Finely diced Tomato: 1no
Finely chopped Onion: 1 no
Slit Green chilli: 2 nos
Green Peas: One handful
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil: 1/2 tablespoon
Ghee: 1/2 tablespoon
Pudina leaves: 1/2 tablespoon (Optional)
Finely chopped Ginger: 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves: a few
Coriander leaves: 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped

For Seasoning:
Saunf: 1/4 teaspoon
Jeera: 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon:  1/2 inch stick
Cloves: 3 nos
Cardamom: 1 no

Method:
1. Place a heavy bottomed pan or kadai on the stove over high flame. When it is hot, roast rava or sooji till it becomes light in weight.
2. Take it out in a plate and let it cool.
3. In the meantime cut all vegetables as mentioned ie dice the potatoes, carrots, finely chopp onions, beans, tomatoes, ginger, coriander, and pudina leaves. Slit green chillies and keep it aside.
4. Place the same pan used for dry roasting rava on the stove over high flame, add 1 teaspoon of oil and ghee. 
5. When the oil is hot, add saunf, jeera, cinnamon, cardamom and fry it for less than a minute.
6. Add slit green chillies, ginger and  onions and saute it well for a minute.
7. Now add vegetables one by one and saute it well, add salt, 3 cups of water and stir well.
8. Check it and add salt as per taste and turmeric powder. Stir once.
9. When the water is about to boil, simmer the flame, add the roasted rava slowly and at the same time keep stirring it so that no lumps are framed.
10. Add the tomatoes and mix well, add the remaining oil and ghee. Mix well. 
11. Close it with a lid, Let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
12. Add chopped coriander and pudina leaves. Mix well.
13. Put off the flame and transfer the kitchidi to the serving bowl.
14. Serve it hot with any chutney or sambar or any pickle of your choice.

Note:
1. Dry roast the rava well for 5 to 10 minutes, otherwise the kichidi may turn out sticky.
2. One cup of rava requires 2 cups of water (including the vegetables) to cook.


 
 

Masala Peanut Pakoda or Kadala Kotta Pakoda

               Masala Peanut Pakoda or Kadala Kotta Pakoda

          I never knew a snack called kadala kottai pakoda existed before my marriage. I tasted this at my husband's cousin's place, where they served it as an evening snack along with tea. It was store-bought one. But after that I tried to make it, but was always a failure. Sometimes it turned out soggy, at times hard, burnt.
         After many tests and trails, I got the perfect masala pakodas. I have tried this recipe many times at last, I am posting it in my blog. 

Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes 
Yields: Serves 3 to 4 

Ingredients:
Fresh Raw Groundnuts: 1 cup
Rice flour: 1& 1/2 tea spoons 
Besan flour: 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala: 3/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Salt as needed
Asofotedia: a pinch or more
Water as needed
Oil: enough for frying

Method:
1. Take the raw peanuts in a wide bowl, add in the flours, salt, chilli powder, garam masala, asofotedia and mix well.
2. Sprinkle little water and rub using your fingers. Let the flour coat every peanut.
3. Let it stay for a while.
4. In the meantime heat enough oil for frying over medium fame.
5. When the oil is hot, gently drop in the masala flour coated peanuts, carefully and fry it.
6. When it becomes golden brown, drain excess oil and take it out. Place it on a tissue to remove oil, if any.
7. Let it cool down completely (ie to room temperature).
8. Enjoy it as anytime snack.

Note:
1. Masala peanut may appear soft and chewy, while it is hot. Once it is cooled it will be firm and crisper.
2. It stays well for more than a fortnight.

 

Methi Naan

                                                     Methi Naan

       Winter is the best time to enjoy authentic Punjabi dishes. I used to wonder how the methi leaves stick firmly to the naan or kulcha, but recently came to know that by applying little water and smearing the methi leaves, the methi leaves stick to it after cooked on the tawa.
          
                         Fresh methi can always be replaced with kasuri methi, if fresh methi leaves are not available. Methi naan is very aromatic and tasty, whose slight tinge of bitterness of the methi gives it its unique taste.

Cuisine: Punjabi 
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 2 hours
Cooking Time: 3 to 5 minutes per naan

Ingredients:
Maida: 2 cups
Curd: 2 table spoons
Salt as needed
Water as needed
Butter or Oil: 2 table spoons
Finely chopped kasuri methi leaves: 1 cup tightly packed

Method:
1. Take maida in a bowl, add salt, curd and knead it, sprinkling water in-between, into soft dough.
2. Let the dough rest for 2 hours.
3. Take the dough and divide it into equal sized balls.
4. Roll it out evenly into a thick circle.
5. Apply water on both sides of the circle and smear methi leaves lavishly on it.
6. Place a tawa on the stove over high flame and heat it.
7. When the tawa is hot, put the methi naan over it and cook it for a minute and then flip and cook it till dark brown spots began to appear on the naan.
8. Now apply butter or oil on both the side and take it out (or). 
    After flipping naan on the tawa for a minute, place it on the wire-rack and flip it till  golden brown spots began to appear, take it out. Smear butter or oil and serve it hot with subzi of your choice.

Note:
1. The resting time of 2 hours is a must to obtain soft naan.
2. Adding curd results in soft and fluffy naan.
 

Pinwheel Samosa or Samosa Pinwheel

                           Pin wheel Samosa or Samosa Pin wheel

    When I was lazy to make the traditional shape of samosa, I thought of making a pin-wheel shaped samosa, which is quite easy and quick. You need to follow some methods to make it more appetising and we should make sure that the filling doesn't spill out while frying.

Cuisine: Indian Snack
Preparation Time: 15 minutes 
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Frying Time: 7 to 9 minutes for a batch of 5
Yields: 1 cup of flour yields 20 samosas

Ingredients:
Maida: 1 cup + 1 tablespoon
Water as needed
Salt as needed
Butter or Hot Oil: 2 tea spoons
Omam or Ajwain: 1/4 teaspoon

For Filling:
Boiled Potato: 2 nos
Green Chilli: 2 nos
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 teaspoon
Finely Chopped Onion: 1 no
Finely Chopped Coriander leaves: 1 teaspoon
Punjabi Garam Masala: 1/4 teaspoon
Finley Chopped Ginger: 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil: enough for frying

Method:
1. Pressure cook the potatoes for 10 to 12 whistles and wait till the pressure subsides.
2. Peel the potatoes and mash it it using a potato masher.
3. Chop the onions and green chillies, ginger, coriander and keep it ready.
4. Take maida in a wide bowl, add salt, hot oil and ajwain. Mix it well.
5. Sprinkle enough water and knead it into soft firm dough and close it with lid. Let it rest while the filling is prepared.
6. Place a pan on the stove over high flame and heat it. When it is hot, add 2 tea spoons of oil and when it is hot add cumin seeds, onions, green chillies, ginger and salt. Mix it well.
7. Add turmeric powder and mashed potatoes and stir well. Now add garam masala and mix well till all ingredients are blended well. Cover it with lid and leave for 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Remove the lid, add coriander leaves and put off the flame. Let it cool down completely. Filling is ready.
9. Now take the maida dough and divide it into equal sized balls ( Approximately you will have 5).
10. Take a dough ball and roll it out into circle of even thickness like chapathi.. Now spread the filling evenly all over the chapathi.
11. Fold the circle carefully into cylinder and seal the edges and cut it into roundels of equal size.
12. Slightly flatten the roundel and keep it aside.
13. Make a thin paste of maida using 1 tablespoon as mentioned.
14. Place a kadai on the stove over medium flame and add enough oil for frying and heat it.
15. When the oil is hot, dip the roundels in the thin maida batter and gently slid it into hot oil, Fry till it becomes golden brown.
16. Likewise make all the pin wheel samosa.
17. Serve it hot with ketchup.

Note:
1. Dipping the roundels in maida batter avoids the spillage of potato filling, while frying in oil. So this step is very important.
2. It stays crisper for few hours.
 
 
 

Punjabi Garam Masala

                                              Punjabi Garam Masala

       In most of the Punjabi dishes, we use garam masala to enhance the taste of gravies. The masala can be ground fresh in our home, which definitely tastes good, than the store-bought one. Usually in Punjab, they sun-dry the spices and powder them, it is a long process, taking almost 3 days to make it dry completely. This is the traditional method. 
       But in today's fast-paced lives, we shorten the duration by roasting dry the spices and powdering them. I am sure the traditional method of making masala results in freshness lasting for long. But due to time constraint, the latter method is used.

Cuisine: Punjabi
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Roasting Time: 20 minutes 
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds: 1 1/2 table spoons
Bay leaves: 4 to 5 nos
Cinnamon: 4 pieces
Pepper: 1 1/2 tea spoons
Cloves: 8 to 10 nos
Block Cardamom: 3 to 4 nos
Green Cardamom: 2 to 3 nos
Dry Ginger: 1 1/2 inch piece
Nutmeg: 1/4 of it
Cumin seeds or Jeera: 1 1/2 tea spoons
Bygadi chilli: 2 to 3 nos

Method:
1. Dry roast all the ingredients one by one as in the order above, in a heavy bottomed pan over medium flame.
2. Let all the ingredients cool completely.
3. Once it is cool, grind it in a mixie into a fine smooth paste.
4. Store it in an air tight container to retain freshness. 

Note:
1. It stays well and fresh for a month.

 

Bajji Platter (Chilli, Onion, Cauliflower)

                             Bajji Platter (Chilli, Onion, Cauliflower)

        Monsoon is the best time to have pipping hot bajjis, with mint chutney. Usually bajji platter or assorted bajjis are sold by the roadside stalls in Eliot's Beach in Besant Nagar, Chennai. Outside Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradhash, Karnataka and Telangana this bajji is known as pakora.
       It is very popular street food of South India. In Tamilnadu, we use banana chilli or banana pepper for making mirchi bajji, there are many variations like raw banana or vazhaikai bajji, potato bajji, milagai or chilli bajji, onion bajji and bread bajji, etc. 
      Many confuse it with bhaji or thick vegetable curry, here bajji is a similar to fritters or north Indian pakoras. 

Cuisine: South Indian                                                                              Ratio
Preparation Time; 20 minutes                                                  Besan flour: Rice flour
Cooking Time: 5 to 8 minutes for a batch of 5 bajjis                               1: 1/2

Ingredients:
Besan flour: 3 table spoons
Rice flour:  1 1/2 table spoons
Baking soda: 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Salt as needed
Cumin or Jeera powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Food colour: Orange (Optional)
Oil for frying

For Mint Chutney:
Onion: 1 no
Tomato: 1no
Grated coconut: 2 tea spoons
Red chilli: 2 nos
Salt as needed
Pudina leaves: 1/4 cup tightly packed
Tamarind: Marble sized ball

For Tempering:
Oil: 2 tea spoons
Mustard seed: 1/2 teaspoon 
Curry leaves: a few 

Method:
1. Take a wide bowl, add besan and rice flour, baking soda, chilli powder, jeera powder, salt and mix well. Add 2 tea spoons of hot oil.
2. Add water to the flour and mix it well without any lumps The batter should be of dosa batter consistency, it should be thick. Let it rest for a while.
3. In the meantime, slit the banana pepper, otherwise known as bajji-milagai, remove the seeds and keep aside.
4. Cut the cauliflower into florets.
5. Peel the onions and cut it into thin circular discs.
6. Place a pan on the stove over medium flame and pour enough oil to fry.
7. Test a small portion of the batter in the oil, it should come up steadily and gradually.
8. Dip one onion slice in the batter and coat it well.
9. Then gently slid the batter coated onion slice into the  hot oil and fry it.
10. When one side is light golden, then gently turn over the bajjis and continue to fry.
11. Turn over a couple of times and fry till the bajjis are golden and crisp.
12. Drain the excess oil off the bajjis and take it out.
13 Similarly fry all the remaining cauliflower and milagai bajjis.
14. Serve it hot with tomato mint chutney.

Method for Tomato Mint chutney:
1. Peel the onions and cut roughly into cubes or simply dice it, roughly cut tomatoes.
2. Place a pan on the stove, heat it, add 1 table spoon of oil and fry the onions and tomatoes, till the onions become translucent. Add red chillies, tamarind, grated coconut and salt. Put off the flame.
4. Let it cool completely.
5. Grind this in a mixie to a fine smooth paste.

For Tempering:
 6. Place another small pan on the stove, add 1/2 teaspoon of oil and heat it. When the oil is hot, add some mustard seeds and wait till it splutters, add curry leaves and put off the flame.
7. Add this tempering to the chutney and mix well.
8. Serve it with bajjis.

 Note:-
  1. Adding rice flour to the bajji batter is necessary to make the bajjis crispy.