Tasty tiffins , Tastier snacks!

Dhokla - the Gujarati counterpart of Sponge Cake !

For SBS photos, please go to
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/967781-post24.html

Use very fresh besan for best results.
Besan - 1 ½ cups (level)

Water - 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups

Oil - 3 tsp

Fruit salt - 2 level tsp (or soda 1 level tsp)

Citric acid - 1/2 tsp (refer variation )

Sugar - 1 tsp

Green chilli-ginger paste - 2 level tsp

Salt

For tempering:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard - ½ tsp

White seasame seeds - 2 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Green chillies - 5.6 (mince fine)

Mix besan, water, citric acid, green chilli-ginger paste, sugar & salt till well mixed. Use a food processor for perfect blending.

Keep water boiling & ready in a steamer.

Grease thoroughly an aluminium or steel round vessel which can be used for steaming dhokla – keep it ready in the pan over water to get hot.

Sprinkle the fruit salt or soda into the batter, sprinkle 1 tsp water over the fruit salt or soda, whisk thoroughly & quickly & pour the batter in the greased vessel.

The secret is cooking the dhokla vigorously, as soon as fruit salt is added.

Cover & steam for 20 mts.

The flame should be high for 10 mts & low thereafter.

Test if it is cooked, by inserting a knife into it to see if it comes out clean.

Remove, cool & cut the dhoklas.

Heat oil & temper the given ingredients.

Add 3 tbsp water & switch off when it just starts boiling.

Pour all over the dhoklas.

Garnish with grated coconut & chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with green chutney.


Variation:

Instead of citric acid, lime juice can be used.

Do not add at the beginning.

When tempering, instead of adding 3 tbsp of water, add a mixture of lime juice & water to be poured over dhoklas.

 

Cashewnut Pakoda - still going strong as a top favourite !

For SBS photos, please go to
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/967788-post25.html

Besan - 1 cup

Rice flour - ½ cup

Cashewnuts, chopped - ½ cup

Melted ghee ( or oil) - 2 tbsp

Onions - 2 ( grate)

Green chillies - 4,5 ( mince fine)

Ginger - 2" ( mince fine)

Curry leaves - few ( cut fine)

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp ( optional)

Cooking soda - ¾ tsp

Salt

Oil - to deep fry

Sieve besan & rice flour together.

Place the ghee & soda in a plate & rub it well with your palm till it becomes whitish in colour.

Add onions & salt.

Rub again with your palm so that onions releases all its water.

Now, add all other ingredients to a stiff dough.Add minimum water, if at all necessary.

If you have a food processor, use it with the mincing blade. No water need be added & it comes out very crisp.


Heat oil well.

Break small pieces of dough & drop them in hot oil & fry on medium heat till crisp & golden brown.
You don't have to roll it round, just " pinch " the pieces.


It remains crisp very long.

 

Sevai - the old-fashioned method gives petal soft sevai !

This can be prepared from processed rice flour, grinding raw rice or grinding a mixture of boiled rice & raw rice ( in spite of extra work, this gives the softest sevai!)

From processed rice flour:

The amount water for preparing the dough changes with the quality of flour.

It is safer to keep some boiling water ready by the side, when you are making the dough.

Processed rice flour - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Boil water with salt & oil.

When it starts boiling, add the flour in one stroke, whisking very well to avoid lumps.

If it is very stiff, add necessary amount of boiling water, kept ready by the side.

The dough should have the chappathi-dough consistency.

With raw rice:

Normally for 1 cup of raw rice, 2 cups of water are required.

Wash well & soak rice in 1 cup of water for 2 hrs.

Grind very fine, adding a pinch of salt.

Add 1 more cup of water to the paste.

In a kadai, cook the paste with 2 tsp oil, stirring well to prevent lump formation.

Cool & knead well.

With boiled rice:

Wash & soak ¾ cup boied rice & ¼ cup raw rice together for 6 hrs.

Drain & grind very fine adding salt & water.

Cook the paste with 2 tsp oil in a kadai, stirring well, to a dough consistency.

Cool & make balls.

Procedure for making sevai:

Whichever way the dough is made, make orange sized oval balls.

Cook them in a steamer for about 15 mts till completely cooked.

The test is – if you cut across one, there should be no uncooked dough.

Simmer the flame & take one by one for “ pressing “ through the “ sevai nazi”.

Apply a little oil in the pressing cups of the sevai nazi & keep a plate ready beneath it to collect the pressed sevai.

Put the hot balls one by one & press.

As soon as the sevai is collected from a ball of dough, transfer it to a big plate for cooling.

Do not disturb it till it is completely cold.

Now proceed as given under “ ways with idiappam”.

 

Milakai(Mirchi) Bajji - An ideal snack for winter days.

Andhra chillies - 250 gms ( light green long variety)

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp ( to soak chillies)

For the stuffing:

Seasame seeds - 2 tbsp

Pudina leaves - 1 cup

Coriander leaves - 1 cup

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Salt

Jaggery - lemon size

Green chillies - 2 ( optional)

For the batter:

Besan - 1 cup

Salt

Baking powder - ½ tsp

Oil - to deep fry

Slit & deseed green chillies.

Soak them in tamarind water made by mixing 1 tsp paste with 3 cups water.

Dry roast seasame seeds.

(Use green chillies for grinding, depending upon the spice level you want.)

Make a paste of that with pudina, coriander leaves, salt, tamarind & jaggery.

Completely drain the chillies.

Stuff them with the paste.

Make a bajji like batter with besan, baking powder, salt & water. If you have a Food Processor, use it.

Dip the stuffed chillies in the batter & deep fry.

Alternate filling:

Mixture of grated paneer + chopped coriander leaves + masala powders of your choice.






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Pidi Kozukkattai - made with Boiled Rice Rava

Boiled rice rava ( Bombay rava size & fine flour sieved) - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups + 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Red chillies, broken to pieces - 2,3

Small onions, chopped fine - 2 tbsp ( optional)

Curry leaves - few

To add: Coconut - 2 tbsp ( more is optional)

Smear the rava with oil, mix salt & water.

Keep this in a shallow basin type of vessel ( as given in the photo below).

Mix well & cook inside a pressure cooker or pan.

As soon as the first whistle comes, simmer & cook for 10 mts on low.

Cool, open & mix thoroughly when still hot – this is important.

Temper the given ingredients, coconut & mix everything well.

Roll into egg shaped balls & steam for 10 mts. T

This should be cooked in a shallow vessel in the cooker, which is important & hence I have given the photo – otherwise mixing the cooked mixture is difficult.

Serve with any chutney.

Upma kozakkattai with raw rice kurunai will be given separately.

 

Kal Dosai & Thakkali Kuzambu - a tempting combination !

This dosai is the soft variety, ideal to carry when travelling.

This can be made completely without oil also, if you prefer.

Looks white & will not become very crisp.

Boied rice - 1 cup

Raw rice - 1 cup

Urad dhal - ½ cup

Wash & soak everything together for 6 hrs.

Grind to a fine paste, adding salt.

Ferment for 12 hrs & make dosais.

After spreading the first side, cover & cook till that side is cooked.

Then turn over &cook the other side.







Thakkali Kuzambu;

Tomatoes - ½ kg

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Sambar powder - 3 tsp

Grated coconut - ½ cup

Onions - 2 – cut into long pieces

Green chillies - 2 – slit

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Peel tomatoes by immersing in boiling water for 2 mts, taking out & plunging in cold water.

Mash them with hand or potato masher.

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

Heat oil, temper mustard seeds & when they splutter,add onions , green chillies & curry leaves.

When they are well fried, add mashed tomatoes, tamarind paste with 1 cup water , salt & sambar powder.

Add coconut milk also.

When all ingredients start to boil together, simmer the stove for a few mts.

Remove when all ingredients are well blended.

Kal dosai can be served with any side dish.

 

Kachori - with Peas & Moong dhal.

Peas Kachori:
Outer covering:
Maida - 1 cup

Oil or ghee - 1 ½ tbsp

Salt

Warm water

Filling:

Fresh peas - 1 cup

Minced green chillies & ginger - 2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Kalonji - ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - ½ tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Oil - to deep fry

For the dough, combine maida, salt & warm water & knead to a semi-soft dough. Use a food processor, if you have one.

Knead for 5 mts & rest for sometime., covered with a damp cloth.

Coarsely grind peas & green chilli-ginger mixture.

Heat oil & temper kalonji.

Add peas mixture, masalas, salt & coriander leaves.

Saute for a few mts & remove.

Divide dough & filling into 6 equal partes.

Roll the dough to 3” diameter & keep one porttion of the filling inside.

Draw around the circle towards the filling & close it.

Slightly flatten it by gently rolling over it (or flatten the centre slightly by pressing your thumb), making sure the filling does not come out.

Heat oil & when the oil becomes hot, drop 2 - 3 kachoris.

The frying is important & should be done correctly.

Fry on a low fire each batch for atleast 8-10 mts till the bubbles stop completely.

It takes time to cook completely inside also.

They will puff up like puris & turn golden brown.

Serve hot or cold with sweet chutney.

Moong dhal kachori:

The outer covering can be made with wheat flour & adding 3 tbsp ghee or oil.

Proceed as given above.

Filling:

¾ cup of moong dhal should be soaked for 2 hrs.

Heat 2 tbsp oil, temper ¼ tsp of each jeera, omim, saunf, til & hing.

Add drained moong dhal , haldi & little water just to cook it.

Cover & cook.

Open, add greenchilli-ginger paste, red chilli powder, salt & little sugar.

Cook till water evaporates completely.

Then proceed as before.

 

Sabudhana (Sago) Vada- the Maharashtrian special.

Sago is known as javvarisi in tamil.

This variety used for vadai & upma is called “ disco javvarisi” or small nylon variety.

To give an idea how it looks like, I am attaching a photo below.

Small nylon javvarisi - 1/2 cup

Potatoes - 3 medium

Coarsely powdered, roasted groundnuts - ½ cup

Red chillii powder - 2 tsp

Oil - to deep fry

Salt

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Soak javvarisi ( sago) in 1 cup ofwater for 5-6 hrs.

The soaking is important.

When it is soaked well, strain completely, just to make sure, any excess water drains off.

Boil, peel & mash the potatoes well.

Mix the drained sago with powdered groundnuts, mashed potatoes, salt, red chilli powder & chopped coriander leaves well to form a dough.

Do not add water.

Pat vadas with hand ( discs 2” size).

You can refrigerate them in a box lined with butter paper & keep them ready.

Just before serving, deep fry in hot oil on medium flame till bubbles subside.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

 

Turdhal Oothappam with Onion-Garlic Chutney - yellow & soft !

Boiled rice - 1 cup

Tur dhal - ½ cup

Methi seeds - 2 tsp.

Salt

Mix rice, dhal & methi seeds.

Wash well & soak in water for minimum 6 hrs.

Grind to a fine paste using the soaked water.

Ferment for atleast 12 hrs.

Make oothappams, the usual way.

Finely chopped onions can be added to the batter before making oothappam.

Onion-garlic Chutney:

Red chillies - 7,8 ( or totaste)

Small onions - 1 cup (peel)

Garlic - 10 pcs ( peel)

Oil - 1 tsp

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Salt

To temper:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Dry roast red chillies separately.

Fry garlic & onion in 1 tsp oil without discolouring garlic.

Grind all the above with tamarind paste & salt.

Heat oil, temper as given & fry the paste for a few mts & remove.

In the photo, tur dhal oothappam is served with coriander chutney.

 

Puri & Potato - we call it Puri Kizangu.

In spite of the " entry " of Channa, puri-kizangu remains our favourite !

Puri:

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Maida - 1 cup

Bombay rava - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Oil - to deep fry

Knead the above ingredients together, adding water, to a stiff dough.

Roll into 3” discs & deep fry in hot oil till puffed well.

Since rava is added it remains crisp for 10-15 mts.

Do not keep one over the other, but place side by side.

Potato – known as Kizangu:

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.

Variation:

I – Green chillies & ginger can be omitted & red chilli powder added.

2 – Some prefer to add ½ cup of water, make a gravy & then sprinkle little besan all over & cook till done. This is also tasty.

3 – You can also add 1 tsp besan mixed with ½ cup of water, add & boil together.

4 – Little lime juice can be added, if you prefer.