Aval Usili – Simple as only simple can be. Aval or poha ( preferably medium or thick ) - 1 cup Onion - 2 - chop Green chillies - 3,4 – chop Grated coconut /grated coconut - 2 tbsp Chopped coriancer leaves - 1 tbsp To temper: Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Red chillies - 2, 3 Urad dhal - 2 tsp Gram dhal - 2 tsp Hing - ¼ tsp Curry leaves - few Coarsely grind the poha to just break it – this step is optional. Add salt and enough water and soak for ½ an hour to make it soft. Approximately the same volume of water is usually correct, but this varies with the poha quality. Soak the dhals in water for 30 mts and drain completely. Heat oil in a kadai and temper as given. When the dhals turn golden, add onions and green chillies. When the onions turn transparent, add the soaked poha. Saute for a few mtes & switch off the stove. Add grated coconut & mix well. Remove & garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with any chutney.
Mushroom Cutlet - Stylish, not very common ! Big potatoes - 6, boiled, peeled & completely mashed Button mushrooms - 200 gms Finely chopped celery - 2 tbsp Onions, finely chopped - 2 tbsp Processed Cheddar cheese, grated - ½ cup Green chillies - 4, 5, finely minced Salt Maida - 1 tbsp, made into a loose paste with water for dipping cutlets Bread crumbs - ½ cup, to dredge the cutlets Oil - to deep fry Wash, dry thoroughly & chop the mush rooms. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai & saute the mushrooms till all the water content in them evaporates & they become dry. The same way, saute onion & celery also. Knead them all with mashed potatoes, grated cheese, minced green chillies & little salt to a thick dough. Make balls, dip in maida paste, roll in bread crumbs & deep fry in hot oil. Serve hot with tomato sauce. Note: Onion & celery are optional. Always make & test fry one cutlet first. If it tends to break, add one more potato, boiled, peeled & mashed.
Chinna Vengaya Oothappam: - Enga ooru ( Madurai) special This is very famous in the chain of shops in Madurai called Murugan Idli Kadai. For this, exclusivey small onions ( chinna vengayam ) have to be used for the best flavour. They are first peeled & very thinly sliced. A sharp potato slicer does the job best. This way, just a few onions give a good volume of slices which are spread out in the oothappam. This dish must be eaten hot. The accompaniments can be milakai podi or any chutney. In Madurai it is served with 6 side dishes - milakai podi & oil, sambar, coconut chutney, pudina or coriander chutney, ginger chutney and tomato chutney. Dosa batter - 2 cups ( can be venthaya dosai or turdhal oothappam or ordinary dosai batter) Small onions - 20 – 25 Oil - to make oothappams The batter can be a little more sour than for dosai, medium thick and not watery. Add the thinly sliced onions & mix well. Make oothappams, the usual way, roasting with a little oil on both sides. Serve hot with any chutney.
Idiyappam - let us learn to make it from scratch ! Raw rice - 1 cup Maida - roughly 1 cup ( as given below) Salt Wash & soak rice in water for 1 hr. Drain well & dry in shade. Powder in a machine or mixi, if the quantity is less. Sieve fine & lightly roast in a dry kadai till it gives out steam ( aavi ponga). Remove, cool and measure. Take the same volume maida. Tie loosely in a dry cloth & steam for 20 mts. Cool, open & sieve. Mix equal volumes of both the sieved flours. If you want to store it, sun dry completely for better preservation.]Now to make idiyappam, take 1 cup flour, salt & 1 tsp oil in a vessel ready. Boil 2 cups of water. When the water starts boiling well, remove & add to the flour, mixing well till a soft dough is formed. Add water gradually & carefully so that just the right amount of water is added.Press in “ idiappa moulds” into small circles & steam for 5-7 mts. Idiyappa moulds to fit small pressure cookers are now available. Idiyappam is served with sodhi or anyother chutney of choice.
Corn Cutlet: - the tasty cutlet with “ pearls”. Corn kernels (boiled) - 1 cup Green chillies - 4, chopped fine Processed cheese - 50 gms, grated Potatoes - ½ kg, boiled, peeled & mashed Trimmed bread - 7 slices Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1 tsp Jeera powder - 1 tsp Amchur powder - 1 tsp Maida paste & breadcrumbs Oil - to deep fry Dip bread slices in water for 2 secs, squeeze & crumble well. Knead that with corn kernels, mashed potatoes, grated cheese, minced chillies, salt & other masalas. Shape into cutlets, dip in maida paste, roll in breadcrumbs & deep fry in hot oil to golden brown. Serve with tomato ketchup, surrounded by chips.
Palak-Cheese Pancake - ideal for breakfast ! Palak leaves can be washed , very finely chopped & used as a topping. As a variation, I dropped the leaves in boiling water for 1 mte, drained & ground it to a paste with green chillies. You can use any method. Maida - 1 cup Milk - enough to mix into a batter of dropping consistency Salt Pepper - 1 tsp Green chillies - 2, 3 ( for the first variation add finely chopped & for the second variation, grind with palak) Grated cheese - 3-4 tbsp Melted ghee - 3 tsp Oil or ghee - to fry Mix all ingredients except cheese & rest for 30 mts. Spread 2 tbsps of batter on to a non-stick frying pan in a small circle about 3” diameter. Add ½ tsp ghee or oil around. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover & cook. Need not be turned over. Serve with any spicy chutney or ketchup.
Puliyaval - yet another ancient recipe ! Medium thick poha or aval - 1 cup Tamarind paste - 1 tsp Salt, haldi Hing - ½ tsp To temper: Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - ½ tsp Urad dhal - 2 tsp Gram dhal - 2 tsp Red chillies - 4,5 Green chillies - 2,3 Curry leaves - few To garnish: Roasted & coarsely crushed peanuts - 2 tbsp Grind poha in the mixi to rava texture – this is just to give a homogeneous texture to the dish. Soak in 1 cup of water to which, tamarind paste, salt, haldi & hing are added. Check after 15 mts – if necessary add few more sprinklings of water. The soaked poha should be soft, but not sticky. Heat oil in a kadai & add all the tempering ingrdients. When they are done, add the soaked poha & mix thoroughly. Simmer for just 3-4 mts & remove. Serve hot, garnished with crushed peanuts. Some prefer to use rasam powder in this when soaking with tamarind - this is one's choice.
Mullu thenkuzhal - also called muthusaram or manakombu Rice - 3 cups Moong dhal - 1 cup Gram dhal - ½ cup White til seeds - 1 tbsp Salt, hing Butter - as given Oil - to deep fry Roast both dhals one by one lightly, mix with rice & powder in the flour mill. Sieve & use the fine flour. Please refer to http://www.indusladies.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2378&postcount=19 Pressing directly into oil or pressing into a plastic sheet & transferring to hot oil is one’s convenience. Follow the instructions given in the above URL. Cool & store airtight.
Dahi Mushroom on Toast:- Use for grilled sandwich as well. Button mushrooms - 400 gms, chopped Onion - 1, chopped Butter - 1 tbsp Curds - ¾ cup ( or less, by preference) Bread slices - 8 Chopped pudina - 2 tbsp Grated cheese - 4 tbsp Salt, pepper Heat butter in a kadai. Add onion, fry & add mushrooms. Mix well & add salt. Mushroom gives out water, saute till water evaporates. Add pepper & cook on a low fire till cooked & dry. Cool, mix dahi & pudina leaves. Toast the bread slices, spread the mix on them & top with grated cheese. Grill for a few mts. Serve hot.
Kollu Sprout Pongal - healthy, tasty, but different pongal ! Instead of moong dhal, I added kollu sprouts & tried pongal. Instead of the traditional spices for pongal, I added red chillies, mustard dhal, urad & gram dhals & garnished with roasted peanuts & grated coconut. The taste was excellent. Thin variety rice ( preferably jeeraka samba ) - 1 cup Kollu sprouts - ( up to ) ½ cup Salt, hing To temper: Oil+ghee mixture - 3 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Red chillies - 3,4 Urad dhal - 2 tsp Gram dhal - 2 tsp Curry leaves - few To garnish: Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp Lightly roast the rice on a dry kadai for 2, 3 mts & cool. Soak for 15 mts. Drain, add sprouts, salt & hing. In a pressure cooker take 2 cups of water & add the above. When the mixture starts boiling, close the cooker& keep the weight. Simmer the flame & cook for 10 mts. Cool & open. In a kadai, heat the oil-ghee mixture & temper as given. When the dhals are roasted, add the pongal & mix thoroughly. Remove from flame & garnish as given. Serve with any gotsu or puli kuzambu.