Tasty tiffins , Tastier snacks!

Greens oothappam - Tastes good even when cold

Any greens can be chopped & used.

Besan - ½ cup

Maize flour (makai ka atta) - 1 cup

Chopped greens - 1 cup

Chopped onions - ½ cup

Chopped green chillies - 1 tbsp

Salt

Oil - to make oothappam

Mix all ingredients to dosai mavu consistencty.

Make small oothappams using oil, as usual.

If you do not have Maize flour, substitute wheat flour.

Serve with any chutney .

 

Ginger Pakoras - Jey just loved it !

Maida - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cooking soda - a tiny pinch

Salt

Grind to a paste with minimum water:

Ginger - 20 gms (2”)

Green chillies - 6, 7

Oil - to deep fry

With you palms, rub ghee into a mxture of maida, salt & soda.

When it becomes like bread crumbs, add the paste & knead well.

Try to avoid adding water; if at all, add minimum.

Pinch into small balls deep fry.

Drop in medium hot oil & fry on a low fire till bubbles stop completely.

This will take atleast 10 mts – only then it will be crisp for a long time.
Using the mincer blade of Food Processor:
First mince ginger and green chillies. Then add maida, soda, salt & melted ghee (or hot oil). Run for a few seconds for thorough blending. Next add water in spoons till the entire mass starts rolling round. The stop & remove. Pinch balls and fry as given.

 

Karuppatti aappam - made with karuppatti called molasses

This is a famous dish of the southern Tamil Nadu, particularly around Madurai.
Karuppati is best for this. If not available jaggery can be used.

Boiled rice - 1 cup

Raw rice - ½ cup

Mixture of equal gram dhal+uraddhal - ¼ cup

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Karuppatti - 400 gms

Mix rices, dhals, methi seeds & wash well.

Soak for 5-6 hrs.

Drain & grind very fine adding very little salt.

Ferment for minimum 8 hrs.

Powder karuppatti & mix with minimum water..

Heat on a low fire, stirring continuously to prevent it getting burnt.

When it has dissolved completely, strain to remove impurities.

Cool well.

After fermentation, aappams are made.

(A hint here – if you are not going to make aappams with the entire amount, freeze half the amount in the freezer & make aappams as late as after 2,3 weeks. It comes out excellant, perhaps better! )

Now dilute the batter with karuppatti syrup made.

Add as much of syrup, as just necessary.

It should be little thinner than dosa batter.

Just before making aappams, add fruit salt –1 level tsp for every cup of batter or ¼ tsp soda.

Whisk the batter well for thorough mixing.

Heat the aappam pan well & wipe it with tissue dabbed in little oil.

Pour one big ladle full of batter in the centre, lift the pan & holding the pan with cloth on both sides, tilt it in a circular motion so that the batter spreads & expands along the edges – do this fast.

The centre should be slightly thicker than the sides which are thin.

Keep the heat medium & close the pan with a correct lid.

The aappam will cook in 2 mts.

It is not necessary to turn it over.

Remove to a plate sprinkled with very little sugar, to prevent the aappam from sticking to the plate.

Do not stack hot aappams one over the other, but keep them side by side.

Serve with sweetened coconut milk, any hot spicy chutney of your choice, potato stew or brinjal masala.

 

Vegetarian Omelette - for people like me, the non-egg eaters !

I am giving the basic recipe. You can modify it, by adding any filling like cheese etc or vegetables.

Maida - ½ cup, flat

Besan - 1 cup, slightly heaped

Tomatoes - 1 big or 2 small, finely chopped

Green chillies - 3, 4, finely chopped

Curry leaves, finely chopped - 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 2 tbsp

Butter or oil - to make

Salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients except pepper, adding water to a smooth batter.

Make omelettes the usual way in a non-stick pan, using oil or butter.

When done on the first side, spreinkle pepper powder, fold & serve.

 

Bun Puri - keeps well for 3, 4 days

This is yet another very old recipe of mine which I learnt in 60’s ! This needs no side dish & can be eaten on its own. It is ideal to take for journeys, picnics etc.

Maida - 3 cups

Curds - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Soda bi carb - ½ tsp

Salt - ½ tsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Oil - to deep fry

In a big plate, mix salt, sugar, soda with curds & rub very well.

When the sugar dissolves, add maida little by little.

Knead to puri dough consistency, adding the ghee, though it will be little sticky.

Ferment overnight or for 8 hrs.

Roll into thick puris.

Deep fry first on medium hot oil, & then on low fire turning around repeatedly.

Remove when brown in colour.

This can be eaten without any side dish – it is very tasty.



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Banana-Bread Balls - an interesting taste, quick to make !

You can use milk bread, wheat bread or whole wheat flour bread.
Chop the bread into fine cubes.
Chop the bananas also into fine cubes – do not grate or mash.

Bread cubes - 1 cup

Banana cubes - 1 cup

Besan - 1 tbsp

Rice flour - 1 tbsp

Green chillies - 3,4 ( or to taste: chop fine)

Salt - a pinch

Sugar - 2 tsp

Oil - to deep fry

Put the bread cubes in the mixie &make crumbs.

Knead together all ingredients to a dough, without adding water.

Heat oil to medium.

Roll into small balls & fry on a low fire to prevent the colour turning dark brown.





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Oats – Atta Oothappam - jiffy + health combine !

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Oats - ¼ cup

Powdered sugar - 4-5 tsp

Milk - ½ cup

A pinch each of cardamom & Cinnamon powders

A pinch of salt

Oil - 1tsp

Eno’s fruit salt - ½ tsp

Low fat butter - to cook

Combine all ingredients, except fruit salt, adding enough water to a smooth batter, blending very well.

Add fruit salt just when you start making oothappams, mixing well.

On a non-stick tava, make small oothappams, using butter for a good taste.

Serve with honey or jam.



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Keerai Vadai - Can I call it “legendary” in S I cooking ?

Urad dhal - 1 cup

Raw rice - ½ cup

Finely chopped keerai - ½ cup

Green chillies - 5, 6 (chop fine)

Ginger - 1 “(chop fine)

Cashews - 5, 6 (chop fine)

Red chillies - 2,3

Salt, hing

Oil - to deep fry

Mix rice & dhal.

Wash & soak with red chillies for 1 hr.

Grind slightly coarse, adding little water, salt & hing.

Add all chopped ingredients.

Make vadais & deep fry.

Best served with coconut chutney.
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Cheese Toast - one of many recipes, but no butter !!

You can use any bread for this, like whole wheat bread, ragi bread, 7 grain bread etc.
I used Cheddar cheese.

Bread slices - 4

Mix to a thick paste:

Cornflour - 2 tbsp

Grated cheese - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - to taste

Mustard powder - ½ tsp

Salt - very little

Milk - just sufficient to hold all the above (excep bread) to a thick spreading consistency.

Toast the slices till light brown.

Spread the cheese mix on them & grill till the top sizzles.

Serve hot.

 

Uppu Seedai (Rice) - melt in the mouth, believe me !

I learnt this recipe from Ms Cheeniya, this morning. I had not posted uppu seedai with rice flour so far, because, I was not satisfied with my recipe. Cheeniya’s mother is an expert & so I am giving her fool-proof recipe for both seedais ! Please note that I have modified the vella seedai recipe also, under her instructions. Please make a note of the same.

Wash & soak 1 cup of rice in water for one hour. Drain & spread on a cloth to dry. Grind it in the mixie & sieve. It need not be extremely fine. Now, roast it on a dry kadai till, you can draw a line with that mavu continuously.

Dry roast urad dal till light brown, cool, powder & sieve, This flour should be very fine.

Coconut can be dried in MW medium for 5 mts, so that the moisture content is lost.
It can be directly added also, in which case, seedais have to be fried for a longer time to become crisp. Coconut can be omitted also by choice.

Roasted rice flour - 1 heaped cup

Urad powder - 1 ½ tsp

White til seeds - 2 tsp (wash very well, free from sand to prevent bursting)

Butter - 1 tbsp

Coconut - 4 tsp

Salt

Oil - to deep fry

Mix both flours, add butter & knead like bread crumbs.

Add other ingredients & knead to a dough using water carefully.

Roll into balls – do not roll tightly, but gently.

Dry for 1-2 hrs.

Heat oil well, fry in small batches.

Make the oil hot,drop the seedais & at once simmer. Go on turning them, till bubbles stop almost completely.



Cool & store.