Tasty tiffins , Tastier snacks!

Seeppu Seedai - A Chettinad snack.

Raw rice - 4 cups

Urad dhal flour - 1 ½ cups ( udad dhal lightly dry roasted, powdered fine & sieved )

Coconut - 1 cup

Ghee - 4 tsp

Wash rice, soak for 1 hr, drain & spread on a cloth to dry in the shade.

Powder in the mixie till fine.

Dry roast it in a low fire till it becomes like “sand” ! – you should be able to draw line with it.

Mix rice flour, urad dhal flour, & ghee.

Take milk from coconut by adding warm water to the same.

Take about 2 ½ cups of milk, if it is not sufficient, you can add some boiling water.

Boil this milk with salt, add to flour mixture & knead well .

Press in the seepu seedai achu into a long strip, cut into pieces of even length & fry 10 – 15 in hot oil at a time till well done.

Remove to kitchen tissue, cool & store.

My Chettiar friend helped me do this & the photo is posted below.

 

Rasa Vadai - Try it for Deepavali Lunch !

Channa dhal - 1 cup

Moong dhal - 1/2 cup

Udad dhal - 1/3 cup

Red chillies - 4

Green chillies - 4 ( More is optional )

Oil - to deep fry

Salt ,Hing , Chopped curry leaves.

Coriander leaves to decorate

Wash well & soak all dhals with chillies for about an hour.

Strain well and grind with salt & hing to a very coarse consistency adding very little water.

Add chopped curry leaves and make vadais slightly flat and deep fry the usual way we fry vadais.

Remove when 3/4 done and soak in water in a basin.

This removes the excess oil & helps to make it soft.

Now soak the vadais in hot rasam and garnish with coriander leaves.

You can also serve each vadai in a cup of rasam and decorate with coriander leaves and top it with a fried karuvadam (available in departmental stores ).

Alternate toppings are fried & crushed papads or thin potato chips.

 

Vegetable Cutlet _ my version is slightly different !

Grate fine or mince:

Beetroots - 2 medium size

Carrots - 2 medium size

Cauliflower - ½ medium size

Fresh peas - ½ cup

Boil, peel & grate;

Potatoes - 3 big or 4-5 medium

Grind to paste without adding water:

Onions - 3 big or 4 medium

Garlic - 7,8

Ginger - 2”

Green chillies - to taste

Cashewnuts chopped - ¼ cup

Coriander leaves - ½ cup, chopped

Other ingredients:

Fried gram ( pottukadalai) powdered - up to 1 cup

Salt, garam masala

Besan - 1 tbsp

Bread crumbs - 1 cup

Cook the vegetables with not more than 1 tbsp water on a low fire in a closed vessel or better still microwave on Hi power, closed, for 10 mts.

Boil 4 or 5 med or big potatoes, peel &grate.

Mix all these & mash for homogeneous texture.

Preferably micowave the ground paste , mixing little oil for 8mts hi & 8mts med (this timing varies for every microwave) Or fry on a low fire till dry.

Mix this with the vegetables.

Now we usually add bread crumbs or bread slices for thickening the mixture -instead of that add powdered fried gram (pottukkadalai) . Add as much powder as is necessary to get the correct consistency of shaping culets.This gives a very good taste.

Add a little garam masala, salt, mix well &make cutlets.

Make a thin paste of besan (&not maida) for dipping before rolling in breadcrumbs.

Shallow or deep fry, as usual.

You will be surprised, how much the addition of cashewnuts, fried gram & besan paste for dipping, changes the taste of the cutlet.

 

Adai is coming - are you ready with avial ?

3 Different Varieties:

Each family has a different recipe for adai, which is a favourite dish in many houses.It is not easy to label one particular recipe as traditional. By trying out many combinations, I have evolved my own (unconventional ?) proportion, which is certified very tasty by my friends.

First recipe:

Raw rice - 1 cup

Boiled rice - 1 cup

Gram dhal - 1 cup

Tur dhal - slightly more than ½ cup

Udad dhal - slightly less than ½ cup ( these two together should make 1 cup)

Red chillies - 8-10

Green chillies - 4,5

Hing powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few (chop fine)

Salt

Wash & soak rice & dhals with red chillies (this imparts a nice colour to the adai) for3-4 hrs.

Drain, grind, adding green chillies, hing powder & salt, to a coarse pate.



Add chopped curry leaves & make adais, as usual.



Finely chopped onions can be added to the dough.

The photo is posted below.


Muzhu Ulundu Adai (Palghat Speciality)

Boied rice - 1 cup

Black whole urad dhal - ½ cup (, in this, you can include 2 tsp tur dhal, not more – but , both together should be only ½ cup)

Red chilli - 1

Pepper - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Hing powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few (chopped)

salt

Wash & soak rice & dhal(s) with red chilli for 2 hrs (can be less, not more).

Grind coarse with salt, hing powder, adding pepper, jeera at the end, so that they are fairly coarse.

Add curry leaves & make adais as usual.

The photo is posted in the thread " Tips, tips, tips".

It is customary to add drumstick leaves to this adai & it is called murunga ilai adai.

Traditionally, it is patted with hand on a hot tawa, slightly thick, 2-3 holes made into which oil is poured & roated crisp on low fire for a long time !

Verum Arisi Adai;

In this, flavour of rice stands out.

Boiled rice (best is flavourful red variety, if available) - 1 cup

Coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)

Salt

Wash & soak rice for 2 hrs.

Grind coarse with salt, adding coconut, towards the end.

Make adais as usual.

The photo is posted in th " Tips, tips, tips" thread.

It tastes very good, if drumstick leaves are added – plain is also good.

 

Mysore Masal Dosai - from an expert in Bangalore !

As with many other recipes, this is one of the versions of the famous Mysore Masal Dosai.

Raw rice - 4 cups

Urad dhal - 1 cup

Gram dhal (or tur dhal) - ¼ cup.

Soak for 3-4 hrs.

Grind smooth & ferment for 12 hrs.

Red chutney to spread:

Dry red chillies – bedagi or Kashmiri chillies - 10 ( this gives the red colour . If you can’t get either, use ordinary chillies)

Onion - 1 big

Garlic - 3,4 (optional)

Fry these lightly & make a paste with salt & water.

Masala (palya):

Potatoes - 250 gms – boil, peel & crumble

Onions - 250 gms - cut into thin long pieces.

Green chillies - 3,4 (slit)

Ginger - 1 tsp, finely chopped

Curry leaves - few, chopped

Coriander leaves - few, chopped

To temper in 2 tsp oil:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

In a kadai, heat oil, add the tempering ingredients, ginger, green chillies & onion.

Fry till onion becomes transparent.

Add potatoes, salt., both leaves & mix well.

Some like to add little sugar.

Assembling:

These dosas are made using a mixture of ghee & oil.

Heat a flat tava.

Smear with oil & water on the tava & spread a thin dosa.

Pour the oil-ghee mixture around it.

When the bottom starts turning golden, in just half of it, smear the red chutney lightly.

Wait for a minute for chutney to cook.

Then on the same half, keep 2 tbsp of potato masala.

Fold the other half over this & serve with chutney.

This dosa is not turned over.

Chutney:

Coconut - 1 cup

Fried gram (pottukadalai) - ¼ cup

Onion - 1, chopped

Green chillies - 3,4

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

In a kadai, in 1 tsp oil, fry in order, onion, green chillies, then lightly fry pottukadalai also.

Switch off the stove & add coconut to get lightly heated.

Grind with salt & temper.

 

Aama Vadai & masal Vadai - we say "yes" to dieting, but "yes" to vadai also !

For SBS photos, please go to
Ama Vadai & Masal Vasai – Using FP (1)
Ama Vadai & Masal Vasai – Using FP (2)


Aama vadai

This is also called paruppu vadai.

There are many versions, as usual & this is one of them.

Gram dhal - ½ cup (can be 2/3 cup)

Tur dhal - ½ cup (1/3 cup)

Udad dhal - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 3,4

Green chillies - 3,4

Hing - 1 tsp

Salt

Curry leaves - few, finely chopped

Oil - to deep fry

Soah dhals & red chillies together for 2 hrs.

Then drain them for 1 hr - I personally feel this is one point in favour of crisp vadais.

Grind all ingredients (except curry leaves) without adding water, for short spells at a time,checking that it does not get more ground, than coarse.

Mix it thoroughly while needing so that consistency is uniform.

If at all, add 1 or 2 tsp water, not more.

It should reach the consistency that you can hold in hand & pat – not more.

Pat into small FLAT discs on a plastic sheet & deep fry.

When it is half done, simmer the flame & fry so that it becomes crisp.

Variations:

2 tsp of soaked gram dhal can be reserved to add whole, without ginding.

I once saw a cook adding little hot oil to the batter, just before frying to get that extra crispness !

Masal Vadai:

This is done like aama vadai but completely with gram dhal only.

Onions should be minced or chopped fine & definitely not ground with dhal – the batter will be losened a bit.

Finely chopped mint leaves, crushed saunf (very little) can be added for additional flavour

Note:

Now pattani paruppu (known as vadai paruppu) is available in Tamil

Nadu & this is excellent for vadai. It gives a taste & crispness which even gram dhal does not give..

 

Rava Dosai - Two Different Recipes.

Recipe 1;

Bombay rava - ½ kg

Rice - ½ kg

If there is flour mill facility where you live, send this mixture to th flour mill to grind fine . This can be preserved for 2 months. If not,

Bombay rava - ½ cup

Rice flour - ½ cup

Grind both together in the mixi & proceed.

Recipe 2:

Chiroti rava - 1 cup

Rice flour - ¼ cup

Maida - 1 tbsp

Besan - 1 tbsp

All these can be mixed & used.

Remember, the amount becomes 1 ½ cups & water has to be added at the rate of 2 ½ cups per cup of flour.

Very finely minced carrots & green chillies can be added in this recipe to give a very nice colour.

Proceed in the same method given in tips.

 

Vendaikai Pakoras - from the frying pan to the dining table

Ladies’ finger - ½ kg

Oil - to deep fry

Mix together:

Besan - 2 tbsp

Rice flour - 1 ½ tbsp

Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder & salt to taste

Wasy, wipe & cut the vegetable to not less than 2” length.

Slit into 4, keeping one end intact.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp water on the vegetable & smear (coat) the mixture on it.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Take a handful of the coated vegetable & drop in hot oil, like pakoras.

Turn over once halfway through, when cooking.

When crisp, remove to a tissue paper & serve hot.

 

Crisp Samosas - Make & Freeze them to use any time.

For SBS photos, please go to
Crisp Samosas(1)
Crisp Samosas(2)
Crisp Samosas(3)
Crisp Samosa(4)
Crisp Samosas(5)
Crisp Samosas(6)

Maida 1 ½ cups

Ghee or oil 2 tsp

Salt 1 tsp

For layering 2 – 3 tbsp oil

Water to mix

Maida for dusting

Any dry filling – potatoes, peas etc

Mix flour, salt & oil with enough water to knead to a smooth dough.

This can be done in a Food processor also.

Sprinkle a little water , cover with a damp cloth & keep for ½ hr or so.

Knead again & make 3 small balls of uniform size & roll out 3 discs of about the same size.

Apply a little oil uniformly on one side of a disc , sprinkling a little dry flour & place a second disc over it.

Follow the same procedure again.

Roll lightly into a big chappathi 8” – 9” in diamater as thin as possible, taking care not to have a crease or a fold.

Toast on a dry tava on both sides.

Separate the 3 chappathis immediately (you can easily peel them off)& cover with a damp cloth.

When pliable , cut each chappathi into 3 strips of equal width – about 2” wide.

Trim very thick edges.

Fold each strip into a cone (or if it is long ½ a strip is enough for a small cone )

Stick together with maida paste.

Stuff cone with 2 tsp of dry filling.

Stick down flap with paste , making the samosa a neat triangle.

Fry in hot oil till uniformly golden & drain in a kitchen tissue.

These samosas are light & remain crisp for a long time.

The unfried samosas can be made at leisure & put in ziplock covers & frozen.

When you need them, take out an hour before – thaw & deepfry.

These can be fried normally & it is not necessary to fry them for a long time on a low fire.

Plain chopped spring or plain onions, lightly fried with spices of your choice also makes a good filling.

These are also called cocktail samosas.

 

Semia Upma - Ideal for Breakfast.

Semia - 1 cup (semia is also known as vermicelli)

Water - 1 cup

Mixed vegetables like carrot, peas & cauliflower finely chopped - ½ cup

Onion - 1, finely chopped

Salt

Oil - 1 tbsp

To temper:

Oil (& ghee) – 1 tbsp

Red chillies - 2

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Gram dhal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Hing - ½ tsp

Break semia into 2 cm pieces.

Smear 1 tbsp oil completely on the semia & roast lightly till the colour changes, on a medium flame & keep.

Lightly steam all vegetables.

If you are using only carrot, capsicum & cauliflower, you can directly add without steaming.

Keep water boiling & ready in the next stove.

Heat a kadai, temper as given.

Add onion.

When onion turns transparent, add semia, fry till it becomes hot, simmer flame & add boiling water.

Add salt & simmer closed, for the semia to absorb the water completely.

Switch off the flame after all the water is absorbed.

Rest for a few mts & serve.

Normally semia takes only equal volume of water – if need be, add little more boiling water & simmer for complete cooking.

Variation:

Instead of onion, grated coconut (2 tbsp) can be added – add this after cooking is complete.

Adding vegetables is optional.

Roasting semia with oil is important.