Muttakos Adai, Cabbage Adai

          Adai is a family favorite, it's not only tasty but also very nutritious. I usually make the regular Paruppu Adai just with rice and dal batter mixed with onions and coconut or the Vazhaipoo Adai with the same batter mixed with chopped banana flower. This time, I made the adai with chopped cabbage and also slightly changed the flavor of the batter with ginger and cumin seeds instead of fennel seeds. Cabbage gave a different taste and flavor, and we enjoyed the adais with some tomato chutney..

Need To Have

• Idli Rice - 1/3 cup
• Tuvar Dal + Chana Dal - 1/3 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 5
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Cumin Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Cabbage - 2 cups
• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Curry Leaves - 20
• Salt to taste

Method

          Soak the rice and tuvar dal ( split pigeon peas ) and chana dal ( bengal gram ) for at least 2 to 3 hours.

          Grind the rice with the red chillies, remove, now grind the tuvar dal and chana dal along with ginger and cumin seeds, remove and add it to the ground rice.

          Then add the grated coconut, chopped cabbage, chopped curry leaves, asafoetida and salt and mix it well to make a thick batter.

           Now pour some batter on a hot skillet and spread it as thinly as possible. Adding some oil, cook it on both sides to golden brown. Remove and serve it hot with some chutney.

Note
You can make the adai even more healthy, by adding brown rice or ragi instead of the idli rice.
While making the adais, when you flip the adai the first time, press it all over with the spoon, this makes the adai smooth and you'll get nice light brown spots on the bottom side.

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Pottukadalai, Dalia, Roasted Gram Chutney

          Though I haven't posted yet, the tomato chutney is one that I do most often as a side for idlis and dosas, since it's a favorite for both my husband and daughter. But sometimes, when I run out of tomatoes or I am running short of time, then it's this pottukadalai/ dalia or roasted gram chutney. No previous roasting or sauteing is required and you can do a couple of versions with it. Usually I do a combo of green chillies, ginger, roasted gram and a little coconut or dried red chillies, garlic, roasted gram and coconut. But for today's chutney I have used red chillies with ginger and have also added a couple of shallots. This chutney goes well with almost everything, both as a side to idlis and dosas and would also taste good if mixed with rice too..

Need To Have

• Roasted Gram - 4 tablespoons
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Chopped Ginger - 1 tablespoon
• Shallots - 4
• Tamarind - a small marble size
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 5
• Salt to taste

Method

          Take the roasted gram, coconut, red chillies, ginger, shallots and tamarind and grind it all together along with the salt and some water, remove and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida and curry leaves, mix for a couple of seconds, remove and add it to the ground roasted gram dal.

Note
You can add equal amounts of roasted gram and coconut, but I use less coconut to keep it healthy.
If you don't have shallots, use one small onion instead.
More or less chillies according to your tolerance level and also if you don't want, you can leave out the coconut completely.

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Beetroot Kootu, Beetroot Dal, Beets With Lentils

          Whenever I buy beets, I usually make a poriyal or use it along with other vegetables in a kurma or curry. I've made kootu with it long time back, but the taste was not that amazing, so I never did it after that. I made the kootu again, couple of weeks back, cooked beets along with some dal and this time, spiced it up with black pepper and the taste was awesome. I've noted that black pepper ( instead of dried red chillies ) goes well with vegetables that have a sweetish taste like carrots and beets. And also, I have done the seasoning with coconut oil which gives a wonderful flavor to this kootu. It tastes great with some plain rice and pappads..

Need To Have

• Chopped Beets - 11/2 cups
• Moong Dal/ Split And Husked Green Gram - 1/4 cup
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon, packed
• Black Pepper - 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Coconut Oil - 1 to 2 teaspoons
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Grind together the coconut, cumin seeds and black pepper, without adding any water, it'll be like a wet powder.

          Pressure cook the beets, moong dal along with the turmeric powder. Once all the pressure is released, open the pressure pan and add the powdered coconut mix and asafoetida and cook for a couple of minutes.

          Then heat some coconut oil in another pan, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves and remove, add this to the cooked beetroot and dal, mix well and serve it over some hot rice and enjoy.

Note
You can cook the beets and dal in a regular pan, the pressure pan or cooker saves you time.
You can do the seasoning with regular vegetable oil or canola or with ghee also, but coconut oil gives an awesome flavor.
Can make the kootu as thick or thin as you prefer, increase or decrease the pepper according to your spice level. 

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Aval Upma, Poha Upma

          It's been a week since I checked on my blog, had been on a trip to Coorg and came back only on Saturday. It was a different kind of a vacation, very relaxed and peaceful, saw for the first time, a coffee estate, learnt a little more about what goes into that morning cup of coffee. We also visited Talakaveri, the place of origin of the river Kaveri, a holy pilgrimage for the Hindus. We also got to taste a little bit of the local Kodava cuisine, Coorg food, I would be trying out some of the dishes and posting them here later. Now coming to today's post, it's the simple aval upma or poha, this is one upma that my daughter likes and I have been trying out different versions of this simple and humble upma. I have already posted one, Pepper And Jeera Aval, and today it's going to be another one, here we are flavoring the rice flakes/ aval/ poha with lemon, ginger and green chillies. It's such a simple dish, can be put together in under 20 minutes and makes a good breakfast or an after school snack..

Need To Have

• Aval/ Poha - 2 cups
• Raw Peanuts - 3 tablespoons
• Onions - 2 medium, chopped
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chillies - 2, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 2 tablespoons
• Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
• Sev - to garnish
• Salt to taste

Method

          Wash the poha a couple of times, drain and keep for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, heat some oil, add the peanuts and roast for 2 minutes, then add the urad dal and mustard seeds.

          When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the asafoetida, followed by the onions, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Saute till the onions turn pink, then add the turmeric powder and salt and mix for a few seconds.

          Now reduce the heat, add the drained aval and mix it well till it's slightly warmed up. Finally add the lemon juice and the coriander leaves, mix once and remove. Serve it garnished with some sev.

Note
I have used aval that's neither too thin nor too thick, if you use a very thick one, then you have to soak it for some time, then drain and use, don't use the very thin variety, it'll become very mushy.
Sev is deep fried chickpea flour noodles that can be made at home or it's readily available in Indian stores. You can also use aloo bhujia (potato noodles), I have used that only, instead of plain sev and if it's spiced up and has chat masala in it, then leave out the lemon juice.
We like the upma texture to be a little soft, so I just leave a tablespoon or more of water with the aval when draining it, this water is absorbed by the aval and makes it softer.
You can also add some cooked potato pieces or green peas and also some grated fresh coconut for extra taste and flavor.

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Green Beans And Chickpeas Curry

         Back after a weekend of fun and celebration, hope everybody had a fun filled and safe Diwali. After all the sweets and savories for the past couple of weeks, today's post is going to be a simple curry with green beans and chickpeas/ garbonza beans or chana. It's very simple to make, goes very well with both rice and rotis, very healthy and nutritious..

Need To Have

• Chopped Green Beans - 11/2 cups
• Cooked Chickpeas - 1 cup
• Onions - 2 medium, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 medium, chopped
• Garlic - 5 cloves, chopped
• Kasoori Methi - 1 tablespoon, crushed
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Microwave the chopped beans with a little water and salt till cooked. Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, then add the kasoori methi and mix for another minute.

          Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute till it starts to break down, then add the turmeric, chilly and cumin powders along with salt and keep sauteing till the tomatoes become mushy.

          Then add the cooked beans and chickpeas and keep mixing for another 5 to 7 minutes, finally add the pepper powder, mix and remove.

Note
The green beans retain the green color, if you cook them in the microwave.
Kasoori Methi is dried fenugreek leaves, available in Indian stores which gives a unique flavor.
I have added only 2 tomatoes as the ones available here are very sour, if you are using plum tomatoes, you can add more.

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Potato And Bitter Gourd Stir Fry, Urulaikizhangu Pavakkai Vadakkal

          Last month, we had lunch at a Bengali restaurant, though I have tasted Bengali food a couple of times, I cannot talk about the authenticity of a dish. But on that day, I spoke to a girl ( a Bengali student ) sitting at the next table and she told me that she was tasting home style food after a long time, I took that as the verdict. One of the dishes that we ordered that day was a vegetable bajje ( appetizer ), I thought it would be some vegetable, dipped in batter and deep fried. To my surprise, it was a potato and bitter gourd fry, I think both the vegetables were deep fried and then sauteed with some spices. We just loved it, and I wanted to try it at home, I have tried to reproduce it from what I had tasted, I didn't get the recipe, and also I have tried to make it healthy too, try this, even kids wouldn't mind the pavakkai/ karela/ bitter gourd in this..

Need To Have

• Bitter Gourd - 2 medium
• Potatoes - 3 small
• Fennel Seed Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Slightly scrape the outer skin of the bitter gourd, slice into half, scoop out the seeds in the middle and make thin half-moon slices. Peel and slice the potatoes like we do it for French fries. 

          Heat some oil in a pan, add the potato slices and a little salt,  cover and keep sauteing, till the potato fingers turn golden with few brown spots here and there, remove and keep. 

          Add some more oil, now add the sliced bitter gourd and salt and cover and keep sauteing till it gets wrinkled, gets cooked and slightly crispy, remove and keep. 

          Add a little oil, add the fennel seed, chilly and turmeric powders along with the sugar, give a mix and add both the vegetables, mix with the spice powders and keep sauteing for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and serve it warm with dal and rice or rotis.

Note

You can deep fry both the potato and bitter gourd, the dish at the restaurant was just oozing out oil.

The final dish should not be crunchy, but sort of soft and crispy at the same time.

The bitter gourd loses most of its bitter taste.

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Zucchini Rice

          Every single day ( at least the weekdays), the first question that pops in my mind, ' what do I pack for lunch today ', invariably it's either rice or rotis. If it's rotis, then the next question, ' what should I make to go with it ', or if it's rice, ' what rice '. I know, many of us go through this, I also think, that I should plan for it, the night before, but that seldom happens and most of the time I make something that occurs to me at that moment. This zucchini rice is also one such dish, simple and delicious one pot meal that can be put together in a very short time..

Need To Have

• Raw Rice/ Pachai Arisi - 1 cup
• Diced Zucchini - 3 cups
• Tomatoes - 1 cup, chopped
• Garlic - 5 small cloves, chopped
• Chilly Flakes - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Fennel Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Wash and keep the rice soaked till you use it. Heat some oil in a pressure pan, add the fennel and fenugreek seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the garlic and saute till golden. Then add the zucchini and tomato pieces and mix for a minute.

          Now add the chilly flakes, coriander and turmeric powders and mix it, then add the drained rice and mix it for a minute. Now add about 21/2 cups of water and salt, cover and cook, after the first whistle, reduce the heat to the lowest and cook for 7 to 10 minutes and switch off. Open the pressure pan, once all the pressure has been released and serve it warm.

Note
If you are not comfortable with the pressure cooker, you can do the entire cooking in a regular pan, or after sauteing the rice, transfer it to a electric rice cooker, then add the water and salt and cook.
You can also use basmati rice in place of the raw rice.
Can also add a tablespoon of grated coconut and some curry leaves along with chilly flakes, will give a nice flavor.

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Ompodi, Sev

          Ompodi/ Sev, this is one of the simplest snacks, in spite of having eaten it so many times, both store bought and homemade, this is the first time I tried making it. I have made other stuff like murukku, pakodas and mixture, but I don't know, for some reason I have never tried making this. The basic ingredient is besan flour/ chickpea flour/ kadalai maavu/ bengal gram flour and the other important ingredient which gives the flavor and also the name is omam/ ajwain seeds. It is very easy to prepare, in fact, it took me under 30 minutes from start to finish ( for the measurements given below ). This can be had as such or used as a garnish or topping on chats..

Need To Have

• Besan Flour - 1 cup
• Rice Flour - 1 tablespoon
• Ajwain Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon and a pinch
• Dried Red Chillies - 4
• Salt to taste

Method

          The murukku press with the ompodi mold and the ajwain seeds.

          Soak the ajwain seeds and red chillies in a little water for 15 to 20 minutes and grind it as smoothly as possible.

          Sift the besan and rice flours. Strain the ground chilly and ajwain mixture, add it to the flour along with salt and a teaspoon of hot oil. Mix it well, then adding water, prepare a smooth dough with it.

         Heat the oil for deep frying, grease the murukku press ( similar to a cookie press with different molds), fill it with dough and press it, releasing the dough directly into the oil, moving in a small circle, cut off the dough with your hand. Cook on both sides till golden and remove, repeat with the rest of the dough. Cool, break with your hand into small pieces and store in an airtight container.

Note
If doing more than a cup, do everything the same way till you mix the flour with oil, salt and the chill-ajwain mix, then divide into portions, take one portion, add water, make dough and do the sev, then do another portion and so on.
If the dough is too hard to press through the murukku press, then sprinkle little water and knead the dough and proceed.
The oil should not be too hot, add a pinch of dough to the hot oil, it should rise slowly to the top. Also, when you press the dough into the oil, it'll sizzle at first and gradually settle down, at that point, flip it slowly and cook on the other side the same way and remove, it'll take 1 to 2 minutes.
Use the mold that has the smallest holes.

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Drumstick Curry, Murungakkai Pirattal, Curry

          Whenever I bought drumsticks/ murungakkai, the only dish that I made was a sambar with it. Especially, when we were in the US, where drumsticks was a rare thing at least where I stayed, I would never try any other dish, I didn't want to do something that didn't taste good and waste them. After coming to India, where you get this vegetable in abundance, there is even a drumstick tree in my parents' place, I could play around with it. I made a soup with it but I was not satisfied with the result, then I made this curry, this one is a sure winner, it had the perfect balance of spices. It tasted too good when mixed with some white rice and the drumsticks tasted very delicious in this curry, try this when you cook drumsticks the next time..

Need To Have

• Drumsticks/ Murungakkai - 4 medium ones, cut into 2" pieces
• Capsicum - 1/2, chopped finely
• Onions - 2 medium, chopped
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Fennel Seeds Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10

Method

          Heat some oil, add the fennel seeds powder, when it starts sizzling, add the onions and saute till they turn translucent, then add the chopped capsicum pieces and saute for a minute.

          Now add the drumstick and saute for another minute, then add the red chilly, coriander and turmeric powders and mix for a few seconds. Then add some water, about 1 cup and salt, cover and cook on medium heat till the drumsticks are done.

          You can check whether the drumsticks are cooked, just press a piece, it should split into 3 pieces as shown in the picture. If it's done, increase the heat and let all the water to evaporate. Now add the tomatoes, keep mixing till the tomatoes break down and the mixture becomes dry again.

          Now, add the grated coconut and curry leaves, mix for another minute, remove and serve it with some hot rice.

Note
When buying drumsticks, pick fresh green ones, that are not too fat.
Don't leave out the capsicum, that gives a nice flavor and taste to the curry.
Choose a nice ripe tomato that has a little bit of sourness.

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Bread Upma

          Both my husband and daughter are not big fans of plain bread and jelly/ jam. They prefer savory sandwiches in the morning, I usually make the pesto sandwich or guacamole sandwich, or atleast some sandwich with something that's spicy between the slices. Apart from sandwiches, I also make this bread upma, especially when the bread is old. This is not only, easy to make, but also a tasty variation from the sandwiches or the regular upma that we make with semolina and vermicelli, a good breakfast or an evening snack for kids..

Need To Have

• Bread Slices - 8
• Fresh Green Peas - 1 cup
• Onions - 2 medium, chopped
• Tomatoes - 2 big, chopped
• Green Chillies - 2, chopped
• Grated Ginger - 2 teaspoons
• Tomato Sauce - 2 tablespoons
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Black Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cashew Pieces - 1 tablespoon
• Chopped Coriander - 2 tablespoons
• Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Microwave the fresh green peas with a little water and salt and keep. Apply some water on the bread slices and press it between your palms, then tear them into small pieces and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering add the cashew pieces, roast till golden. Then add the chopped onions, green chillies and grated ginger, saute till the onions turn pink. Then add the tomatoes, saute for a minute.

          Now add the turmeric powder, sugar and salt, mix it till the tomatoes become mushy. Now add the tomato sauce, curry leaves, grated coconut and garam masala and mix it well. Now add the cooked peas and 2 tablespoons of water and mix it.

          Finally add the bread pieces, reduce the heat and mix it well till all the bread pieces are coated with tomato mixture, for about 2 to 3 minutes. Lastly garnish it with the chopped coriander and serve it warm.

Note
The size of bread slices vary, increase or decrease the amount of tomatoes accordingly, the upma should not be very dry, at the same time it should not become a mushy mess. If while adding the bread pieces, if  you feel it is more, then hold back some of the pieces, if it is less, then add an extra slice.
The upma tastes very good with the chopped chillies, but if you can't take the spiciness, then add 3 to 4 slit green chillies, instead of two chopped chillies.

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