16 Bean Adai/16 Bean Pancakes..

The normal Adai is something which is made with three kinds of lentils and is know to be rich in protein.
This 16 Bean Adai is a treat which i came across in Saffron Trail. I have made this adai a couple of times and v as a family loved this dish!!
A high protein food,different in its own way just makes a heartwarming dish.
Thought i would share the recipe:

Ingredients:

16 Bean Soup Mix-1 Cup

Brown rice(long grain)-1 Cup

Whole urad dhall/muzhu ulundhu -a handful

Red Chillies-5 to 6 nos.

Green Chillies-2 nos.

Ginger-1/2 inch piece

Curry leaves-few

Asafoetida/Peringayam-a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil to make adais

Procedure:

1.Wash the beans and the urad dhall and soak for abt 2 hrs and then soak the rice along with it for another 2 hrs.

2.Grind the soaked mixture into a coarse batter along with the red and green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and salt adding the curry leaves towards the end.

3.The batter need not ferment unlike dosa batter and the adai can be made right away.

4.Heat a tawa or griddle and spread a ladle full of batter in circles to make the adai and make a small hole in the centre for it to cook well.

5.Apply half tsp of oil around the adai and in the center while it cooks.

6.Flip over and cook on both sides till golden brown in colour.

7.Serve hot with a dollop of butter, jaggery, mor kuzhambu, avial or milagai podi yennai.

Instant Thiratti Pal/Curdled Milk Sweet..

Thiratti Paal is a very famous milk sweet made by tamilians for many occasions. The traditional method is to boil the milk on low heat for a long time and let it thicken to form a curdled mixture.But the microwave method of doing it is so simple and hardly needs any effort!!
This is a very popular recipe and i'm sure many of them are aware of it.
But for those who don't know,here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Condensed Milk - 1 Tin (i used the 14 oz tin)

Warm milk - 2 Tbsp

Fresh thick curd - 2 Tbsp

Ghee -1/2 Tsp

Procedure:

1.Mix all the ingredients except ghee in large microwave safe bowl and microwave on HIGH for 5 mins stirring once in between.

2. Then add the ghee and mix well and microwave again on HIGH for 1 minute.

3. Let stand for 2 minutes before serving.Yummy thiratti pal ready!!

Note: 

1. Do not forget to stir in between the first five minutes.

2.The power of each microwave differs, so have a watch when it is cooking.

3.I microwaved it six minutes before adding ghee to get the brown colour. You can do the same depending on the power of your microwave.

Khara Biscuits/Spiced Cookies..

I guess this goodie would be familiar for those hailing from Karnataka (a state in Southern India), especially from Bangalore, and i'm sure you would be missing it !!
What a bliss it was to the taste these freshly baked masala biscuits from the Iyengar Bakeries in Bangalore!!
Ok, now coming to the recipe, it is a very easy one and very less time consuming.
I have baked these a couple of times and it was a hit every time!! Here is the recipe: 

Ingredients:

All purpose flour/Maida-1.5 Cup

Margarine/Vegetable spread/Softenend butter-1/2 Cup

Green chillies-5 or can be adjusted according to your taste ( deseeded and finely chopped)

Baking Powder-3/4 Tsp

Ginger-paste-1 Tsp

Omam/Ajwain-1/2 Tsp (optnl)

Dry mint leaves-1 Tsp

Curry leaves and cilantro-1 Tsp (finely chopped)

Plain thick Yogurt-2 Tbsp

Curry Powder- a pinch (optnl)

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1.Sieve the flour, baking soda and salt and cream the butter or margarine into it adding it little by little to form crumbles.

2.Now add the spices and salt and knead well using your hands and finally add the yogurt making sure the dough is stiff and not too soft.

3.Cover the dough and let it sit for 10 to 15 mins.

4.Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a baking tray.

5.If you have a cookie cutter,cut the dough into required shapes or u can drop it on the tray using a cookie dropper if you like it to be a lilttle thick.I did so because we love the biscuits that way.

6.Prick the top of the cookie with a fork to let the air escape which will help the cookies not to puff up.

7.Bake for twenty minutes or so till the top begins to brown slightly and an inserted tooth prick comes out clean.

8.Remove and cool on wire rack for sometime and store it in an air tight container.

9.Anything better than a cup of hot chai and some khara biscuits to enjoy your evenings??

Kathirikkai Rasavaangi/Sauteed Eggplants in Peanut-Sesame Gravy..

This is a very luscious dish and the very thought of it would add calories to our body!!
Lavishly sauteed in oil and cooked in a rich and creamy peanut sauce, this eggplant dish has it all..
There are many variations for the masala used in this dish, but im going to share the one which i learnt from Lakshmi Mami-thanks so much mami (unga Chappati -Rasavaangi combinationa marakkamudiyaadhu)!! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Indian eggplants-8- 10 nos.(small round ones make the best dish)

Diluted tamarind juice-1/2 Cup

Cumin seeds-1 Tbsp

Red Chilly powder-1 Tbsp

Turmeric-a pinch

Oil-5-6 Tbsps

Salt- to taste

Chopped cilantro - to garnish

To dry roast and grind coarsely:

Peanuts(skin removed)-1/2 cup

White Sesame seeds-1 Tbsp

To grind into a paste:

Onion-1 large
 
Ginger- an inch piece

Garlic-2 pieces (optnl)

Procedure:

1.Wash the eggplants well,remove the stalk and make a slit on top in the shape of a cross to its three fourth.

2.Grind the onions,ginger and garlic together into a fine paste.

3.Dry roast the sesame seeds first and then the peanuts in the same pan and once cool, grind it into a coarse powder and mix the red chilly powder with it.

4.Heat oil in a wide pan and once hot add the cumin seeds and when it turns slightly brown,add the onion-ginger-garlic paste.

5.Saute for a few minutes till it diffuses its raw smell and then carefully add the eggplants one by one and cook well by frying it from all sides.

6.Once the eggplants are soft and cooked,add the tamarind juice, salt and turmeric.

7.After about five minutes, add the ground peanut-sesame-chilly powder.

8.You will begin to notice that the gravy starts to thicken once the peanut powder is added.

9.Cook for about five to seven minutes, switch off the heat and garnish with the chopped cilantro.

10.Let it sit for few minutes with the lid on for the flavours to cook up.

11.Rasavaangi is enjoyed best with steamed rice, roti, idli or dosa.

Chocolate Pecan Fudge..

I have been wanting to try out the fudge for a long time and.... ta-da i made it!! This recipe was born out of nowhere from a sequence of confusions in the kitchen!! But the taste,texture and everything about it was just right!! So, people please pardon me if you'll don't get paid off  for your mistakes the in same way!! Its quite similar to my homemade chocolates except for some minor changes.

Here it goes:

Ingredients:

Unsweetened Dark chocolate cocoa powder(any brand)-1 cup
 

Whole milk/half and half-1 lt
 

Unsalted Butter-1 stick(1/2 Cup)

Sugar-1 Cup

Vanilla essence-1/2 tsp (optnl)

Prodecure:

1.Melt the butter in a thick bottomed pan and add the rest of the ingredients to it.

2.Mix it well and let it cook for about an hour on medium low flame, stirring in between to avoid sticking at the bottom.

3.If using a thermometer,cook until it shows 115 deg C or if not just do the cold water test by taking a samll ball of the mixture and dropping it in cold water.The mixture should form a ball and should be soft and flatten when pressed between your fingers.

4.Grease a 9 x 9 tray with some butter and  pour the mixture into it and top it off with some pecan bits.

5.Mark the pieces using a knife or a pizza cutter.

6.Let it cool untouched  for about 2-3 hrs or simply put it in the freezer for an hour or two to help it become hard.

7.Cut out the pieces and enjoy the blissful taste of chewy chocolate with the crunchy pecan bits!!

8.The pieces can be stored in air tight containers and refrigerated for longer life.

Note:The consistency of the mixture is very important for the chewy texture of the fudge.So do not over or under cook it.

Masala Vadai/Spicy Lentil Fritters..

Masala Vadai and Chai-The Ultimate combo!!
Takes me back to the good old days of train travel in India where the chorus of masal vada by the vendors was such a delight to the ears!!
This is another Indian snack which is made with lentils and spices and fried in oil.
Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Kadala Paruppu/Channa dhall-1 Cup

Thovaram paruppu/thoor dhall-1 Tbsp

Chopped Onion-3 Tbsp chopped

Chopped Ginger-1 Tbsp

Green chillies-3-4 nos. finely chopped

Fennel seeds/sombu/saunf-1 Tbsp

Carom seeds/omam/ajwain-1 Tsp (optnl)

Grated coconut-1 Tbsp (optnl)

Chopped curry leaves- a few

Chopped Cilantro

Asafoetida/peringayam-a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil- to fry

Procedure:

1.Soak the channa dhall for about 2 hrs and drain the water.

2.Grind 3 tbsp of the soaked dhall into a fine paste and keep it aside the grind the rest of the dhall coarsely by just pulsing it twice or thrice without adding water.

3.Mix the ground dhall and the rest of the ingredients except oil to form a batter.The finely ground dhall paste helps to hold the mixture together making it easy to pat the vadas.

4.Wet your hands and take a small lemon sized ball of the batter and press it flat between your hands to form a round thin pattie.

5.Heat oil in a kadai or a frying pan and once it is hot,drop the patties in small batches and fry it until crisp and brown in colour and drain on a paper towel.

6.Enjoy it hot with chutney,sauce or best- a cup of hot ginger,elachi tea!!

7.Store it in an air tight container to maintain crispiness.

Sakkarai Pongal/Sweet Rice Pudding..

Wishing You All a Very Happy Pongal, I would like to add the recipe for Sakkarai Pongal which is made on this auspicious day.Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:

Raw rice-1 Cup

Moong dhall/Paasipparuppu-1/4 Cup

Jaggery-2 Cups(powdered or grated)
 
Milk-1 Cup

Cardamom powder-a pinch

Cashews-a few

Ghee-1/4 Cup

Water-2 Cups

Procedure:

1.Traditionally, the Pongal is made in a "Ponga Paanai" or a Bronze Pot, a heavy bottomed vessel in which the rice and dhall is cooked in milk, but a cooker or any thick bottomed pan with lid can also be used in its place.

2.Wash the rice well and set aside and roast the moong dhall for a few minutes until aromatic.

3.Boil milk in the cooker and when it starts boiling, add the rice and dhall along with the water and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles.

4.Meanwhile melt the jaggery adding very little water and strain the liquid into another container to remove any debris or impurities in it.

5.Open the cooker once it is done and cooled down and add the jaggery liquid to it.

6.Stir the mixture  and let it cook with the lid open on low flame and add some ghee (holding back some for the garnish) while it cooks.

7.Heat the remaining ghee and fry the cashews until brown and pour it on top of the Pongal along with a pinch of cardamom.Close the lid and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

8.And there, delicious, ghee flavoured Sakkarai Pongal is ready!!

                                                                    Pongalo Pongal!!