Tasty tiffins , Tastier snacks!

Gold Biscuits - any size which suits you!!


I learnt this from a TV programme. This is good for lunch-box.

Sandwich bread is ideally suited. Cut into rounds – the size is your preference.

Make a dry potato filling – quite spicy.

Make a paste with cornflour + water. Smear it on one side of bread, as a thick circle of filling over it & sandwich with another round, the underside of which is smeared with paste. This is to prevent disintegration, when dropped in oil.

Dip each sandwiched-biscuit is cornflour paste & deep fry in hot oil.

Serve with tomato ketchup.

You can make tiny rounds, to be used as starters with cocktails.

 

Tomato Sevai - this is a colourful, tasty tiffin.

Make sevai with any of the following recipes:

Ways with Sevai

Idiyappam

Sevai

Break into pieces.

Sevai - 3 cups

Onion - 2, chopped long

Tomatoes - 3-4 (blanche, blend & strain)

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt

Oil - 1 tbsp

Heat oil & sauté onions till transparent.

Add tomato puree & fry on medium fire till it thickens.

Add salt, chilli powder & a pinch of sugar (optional).

Remove& cool.

Mix with sevai gently till uniformly mixed.

Serve with vegetable kurma or Jain bread curry.

 

Coconut-Vegetable oothappam - colourfully tasty!

I plan to post quite a few dosas/oothappams because they are our perennial favourites!!

Regular dosa batter - 2 cups

Grated carrot - 2-3 tsp

Mince together (or give one run in the mixi):

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Tomato - 1 (blanched & chopped)

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

green chilies - 2(or to taste)

Add the mince to the batter along with 3 tsp melted ghee for a nice flavor.

Make oothappams (sprinkling grated carrot), keeping covered on a medium first & then on a low flame so that the top gets cooked, without flipping.

Plain curds go best with this.

 

Eazy Kara Vadai - none to beat this emergency snack!!

This is an ‘instant’ version!! If you have time, you can soak raw rice & grind fine with minimum water. I used processed rice flour.

Rice flour - 1 cup

idli/dosa batter ( the more sour, the better!) - ½ cup

Gram dhal - 4 tsp ( soak well & drain). If there is no time, omit.

Red chilli powder - 1 tap

Salt, hing, chopped curry leaves

Cooking soda - 1/8 tsp

Water - as given below

Oil - to deep fry

Mix all ingredients with a fork or wire whisk, blending well.

Add just enough water to get a thick dropping consistency.

 

Khara Idli - you cannot stop eating it!!

I saw this on a TV programme & slightly modified it. Right porous texture is the main criterion & for that, minimum fat (oil/ghee) is necessary.

Wash well & soak together for 3 hrs:

Raw rice, parboiled rice (idli rice) & tur dhal - each ½ cup

Drain & grind coarse (like rava) with:

Red chillies - 5-6 (or to taste)

Finely grated coconut - ½ cup

Jeera - 1 tsp (optional)

Salt

Allow to ferment well.

Now add

Gram dhal - 2 tbsp (soaked for an hour & drained well)

Temper in 1tbsp oil + 1 tbsp ghee: (only this gives a good texture or use any fat combination)

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Broken cashews - 2 tbsp

Chopped curry leaves, hing

Mix the batter well & steam in a rimmed plate like dhokla for 30 mtes for thorough cooking..
This time varies with the height of the vessel/plate. I used my aluminium cake tin.

Cool, cut & serve with chutneyor a spicy kuzambu.

 

Khara Dosai - spicy golden brown roast.

Wash & soak for 2-3 hrs:

Parboiled rice - 1 cup

Tur dhal - ½ cup

Drain & grind fine with

Grated coconut - ½ cup

Red chillies - 4,5 (or to taste)

Salt, hing

Grind & use. No need to ferment this batter.

Make thin doasis.

 

Potao karasev - Deliciously simple!!

Make a dough with:

Boiled & (thoroughly) mashed potatoes - 2, medium

Besan - 1 cup

Rice flour - ¼ cup

Butter - 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Hing, salt

Oil - to deep fry

No water is necessary.

Make karasev as usual. If you do not have karasev maker, use bigger size sev press & break into pieces.

 

Suhali - a Marwari snack, loved by kids!

This is best eaten for tea with a chutney or pickes.
The traditional recipe has fully maida. I substituted half maida + half wheat flour.

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Maida - 1 cup

Ghee - 3 tbsp, melted

Salt

Ajwain (omum) - 2 tsp

Oil - to deep fry

Rub salt & ghee into the mixture of flours in a big plate.

Knead to bread crumb consistency.

Add ajwain & enough water to make a stiff dough.

Roll as thin as possible (using a dash of oil to prevent sticking to the roller).

Cut into circles & prick all over with a fork.

Deep fry in hot oil, decreasing the flame after dropping them. They must cook on the inside and look golden brown on the outside.

Fry on a low fire till bubbles stop completely.

Cool & store airtight.

 

Urad ki Puri - each is a mini ball!

Urad - ½ cup, level


Atta & rava - 1 heaped cup


Shahjeera - 1 tsp


Salt


Oil - to deep fry


Soak urad for 30 mts & grind fine adding water.


Rest for an hour.


Heat 1 tbsp oil & temper shahjeera.


Add the urad paste & stir on a low flame till it is cooked & thickens.


Remove, add salt, maida & rava.


Knead to a dough using water.


Rest for 30 mts.


Roll into small balls & deep-fry.


Serve with potato or kurma.

 

Khara Oothappam – make it as spicy as you like!!

I assure you, this tastes different from adai since the dhals are roasted. If the last batch of idli /dosai batter becomes very sour, this is ideally tried.

Idli /dosai batter - 2 cups

Dry roast lightly:

Red chillies - 5-6(to taste)

Tur dhal, gram dhal, uraddhal - 1 tbsp each

Hing

Soak for an hour, grind fine to a paste & add to dosa batter.

Check for salt & make oothappams/dosais..

Onions can be chopped, lightly sauted & added to the batter.