Tasty tiffins , Tastier snacks!

Bread Upma - Jiffier than jiffy !

Bread slices - 8 ( do not remove crust)

Onions - 3 ( slice thin & long)

Green chillies - 4 ( slit into 2)

Tomatoes - 2 – cut into long wedges

Salt - a pinch if necessary

Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves - few, chopped

Oil - 2 tbsp

Dip each bread slice in water for 2 secs, squeeze & keep.

Heat oil in a kadai, fry onions & green chillies lightly.

Next add tomatoes & gently fry without allowing to become mushy.

Finally add the squeezed bread, gently mix & garnish with coriander & curry leaves.

Serve hot.

 

Venthaya Dosai with Chutney - with Raw & Boiled Rice.

Venthaya Dosai with Raw Rice:

This is a Karnataka recipe.

Raw rice - 4 cups

Methi seeds - ¼ cup

Urad dhal - 1 tbsp

Salt

Soak urad dhal & methi together & rice separately for 3 hrs.

Grind urad dhal & methi together first.

If you grind, gradually adding water little by little, the dough will fluff up well.

Grind rice separtely, fine.

Mix both, add salt & allow to ferment for 24 hrs so that methi will not taste bitter & the dosai will be soft.

Mix the batter well to dosa consistency & spread dosas.

Drizzle oil around, cover with lid & cook on one side only.

Venthaya dosai with Boiled rice:

Boiled rice - 150 gms ( 1 cup minus 1 tbsp)

Raw rice - 100gms (¾ cup)

Urad dhal - 100gms ( ¾ cup minus 1 tbsp)

Methi seeds - 2 tbsp

Soak the rices separately & urad dhal & methi seeds together separately for 5-6 hrs.

Grind both mixtures separately in a mixi.

Mix both, add salt & allow to ferment.

Make slightly thick dosas or oothappams, as usual.

Serve with the following chutney:

Coconut - 1 cup

Gram dhal - ½ cup

Red chillies - 4,5

Oil - 1 tsp

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Salt

Jaggery - little (optional)

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few.

Heat 1 tsp oil, fry red chilles & gram dhal till golden.

Switch off the flame & add coconut.

When the ingredients have cooled down, grind everything together & temper as given.

 

Vellai Paniyaram - a Chettinad Classic Snack, unparalleled !

Raw rice - 1 cup flat or level

Urad dhal - heap the above cup with just enough

Salt

Oil - to deep fry

Mix the rice & dhal & wash well.

Soak for minimum 2 hrs & grind as fine as possible adding enough water.

Add very little salt & make it to dosa batter consistency.

Heat oil in a kadai, when hot, pour one small ladleful, simmer & deep fry.

When the underside is cooked, turn over.

Turning it over repeatedly is not necessary.

Fry only one at a time.

Dab with 2, 3 tissues to absorb extra oil.

Serve with tomato – onion chutney.

Hints:

The batter should be slightly more flowy than dosa batter.

When you pour a small ladleful into hot oil, it will spread to a 3" circle with lacy edges.

In 1 mte, the underside will cook, flip &cook the other side for about 30 secs.

It should be soft, not crisp.

 

Sweet Potato Chat - to soar up your energy level !

This is totally oil-free & coconut-free & makes a delightful breakfast with a cup of curds.

Boiled, deskinned & cubed sweet potatoes - 1 cup

Chopped onions - 2 tbsp

Chat masala - 1 tsp

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - to garnish

Toss everything together & garnish.

If necessary add a pinch of salt, remembering that chat masala contains salt.

 

Golden brown roast Dosai & Korda - look picture-perfect !

Boiled rice - 2 cups

Urad dhal - ½ cup

Tur dhal - 1 tbsp

Gram dhal - 1 tbsp

Salt

Sugar - very little, 2 tsp

Oil - to make dosas

Wash well & soak rices & dhals together for 5-6 hrs.

Grind adding salt & water to a fine paste.

Allow to ferment for 8-10 hrs.

For golden brown colour, add little sugar just before making dosas.

To make the dosas thin, mix the batter with little water, if necessary to get your desired consistency.

Pour a ladleful on a hot tava, start spreading from the centre to a thin circle.

Wait for about 30 secs & then pour oil on the dosa, slightly inside the edge.

When it looks cooked, pat it flat with the dosa ladle ( dosai thiruppi) – this is to make it uniformly thin.

Turn it over & pour ½ tsp more oil – this is for making it crisp.

When crisp, remove & serve with korda..

Korda:

½ kg peeled and chopped small onions

5 medium sized tomatoes

1 tsp tamarind paste

5-8 long red chillies cut into small pieces

Curry leaves, chopped - few

salt and jaggery to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

In 2 tbsp oil temper mustard ,red chillies and cut curry leaves and fry the small onions well.

Then add the tomatoes and fry till it blends together.

Then add the tamarind paste, jaggery and salt cook well and remove.

Note:

For " rocket Dosai" please refer to " tips".

 

Puli Upma - Delicious, but old-fashioned !


For SBS photos, please go to - http://www.indusladies.com/forums/968320-post7.html

Rice flour - 1 cup

Thin tamarind water - 1 ½ cups ( tamarind level is optional)

Salt, haldi,curry leaves

To temper:

Oil - 3 tbsp ( on the higherside)

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Gram dhal - 2 tsp

Curd chillies, broken - 5,6 (or to taste)

Hing - 1 tsp
Soak both dhals in water for 30 mts & drain – this is to make them crisp in tempering.

Mix flour, tamarind water, haldi, salt & curry leaves.

Heat oil, temper as given.

Wait till the curd chillies turn dark brown.
Add the prepared mixture, stirring continuously.

Lower the flame when boiling starts.

Close with a rimmed plate & pour hot water in it.
When it reaches upma consistency, remove.

 

Corn on toast - Specially for the corn lovers.

Boiled corn kernels - 1 cup

Milk - 1 ½ cups

Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt, sugar

Butter - 1 tsp

Mozarella cheese - 1 tbsp ( grated)

Bread slices - 6-8

Oil or butter to toast

Mix cornflour with ½ cup of cold milk.

Boil the remaining milk, add paste & give a boil.

Add salt, sugar & chilli powder.

Switch off & add butter & cheese.

Toast bread slices in a toaster or on a tava using oil or butter.

Serve with corn.

 

Khara Bhath - Make it a Sunday Special !

You can add chopped, boiled mixed vegetables like peas, carrots, beans etc.

It tastes equally good with just tomatoes.

Rava - 1 cup

Onions - 2 – chop fine

Tomatoes - 2

Salt, haldi

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Grind together:

Green chillies - 6

Ginger - 1”

Garlic - 6 flakes

Khus khus - 2 tsp

To temper:

Oil + ghee - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1”

Cardamoms - 2

Cloves - 4

Pepper - 1 tsp

To garnish:

Cashewnuts - few

Curry leaves - few

Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tbsp

Heat 1 tbsp ghee, fry rava for a few mts & remove.

Heat oil & ghee in a kadai & temper as given.

Then add curry leaves & onions.

When the onions are transparent, add the ground masala & haldi.

Now add 3 cups of water & chopped coriander leaves.

When it comes to boil, lower the flame & sprinkle the rava, stirring all the time.

Cook on a very slow flame.

Cut the tomatoes into 4 pieces.

Add to the mixture along with the cashews fried in little ghee.

Stir carefully so that the tomatoes are not mashed.

Add lime juice to taste.

Pour 1 tbsp of ghee all over & serve hot.

Chutney:

Coconut - ½ cup

Green chillies - 6

Ginger - ½”

Jeera - ¼ tsp

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Red chilli - 1

Urad dhal - 1 tbsp

Onions, chopped - 1 tbsp

Grind green chillies, ginger, jeera & salt fine.

Add coconut & grind coarse.

In a small kadai, temper as given.

When the onions become brown, add the ground paste & switch off.

Do not boil & add lime juice to taste.

Note:

In the photo I have posted, I have added tomatoes & boiled corn.

 

Sago Idli - if you are lazy to grind !

The very small variety of sago which is used for khichdi is good for this.

Raw rice rava ( Bombay rava size) - 1 cup

Sago - ½ cup

Sour curds - 1 cup

Water - ½ cup

Fruit salt - 2 tsp

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 2,3 (chopped fine )

Cashewnuts - 5,6 (finely chopped )

Hing powder - 1 tsp

Curry leaves (finely chopped ) - few (optional )

Pepper & jeera coarsely powdered - 2 tsp

Mix rice rava & sago & soak in a mixture of curds, water & salt.

Allow to stand for 8-10 hrs.

The dough should be as for rava-idli consistency.

If not, add a little water.

Temper all ingredients as given.

Keep the steamer ready with water boiling in it.

Grease the idli plates.

Quickly whisk into the mixture 2 tsp fruit salt with 2 tsp water, pour into idli plates & steam for 10 mtes.

If you are doing in 2 batches, add fruit salt to each batch separately, just before steaming.

This is very important.

Serve this with any chutney of your choice.

In the photo, it is served with ginger pulikachal ( no: 25 in pachadis thread)

 

Cup idli & Masal kuzambu - idlis continue !

Boiled rice - ½ cup

Tur dhal - ¼ cup

Urad dhal - ¼ cup

Gram dhal - ¼ cup

Methi seeds - 1 tbsp

Sour curds - ½ cup

Salt

Ginger - 1”

Green chillies - 3

Curry leaves - few, chopped

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Pepper – 1 tsp

Gingelly oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1` tsp

Fruit salt - 2 tsp

Wash soak rice, dhals & methi seeds for 3 hrs.

Grind adding sour curds & salt to a pste.

Ferment for 8 – 10 hrs.

Add whole pepper, minced ginger & green chillies, curry & coriander leaves.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, splutter & add.

Keep small greased cups ready & hot.

Add fruit salt when the water in steamer is boiling.

Steam it immediately.

Potato masal kuzambu:

Potatoes - 4 (boil, peel & cube big)

Onions - 2 ( chop)

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Ghee - 1 tbsp

To fry in 1 tsp oil :

Coconut - 2 tbsp

Red chillies - 3,4

Dhaniya - 2 tsp

Pepper - ½ tsp

Small onions - 5,6 ( peeled)

& Grind to a paste with:

Garlic - 5,6

Jeera - ½ tsp

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Add 1 cup of warm water to grated coconut & extract milk.

Heat ghee, fry the onions well & add the paste .

After the paste is fried to remove the raw smell add 1 cup of water &

boil adding potatoes & salt.

When everything has blended well, add coconut milk & simmer for a few mts.

In the photo, it is seved with tomato kuzambu.