Seedai

As everyone know Diwali is coming and everyone will be busy shopping and making sweets and all.. But in US we hardly do anything..This is our second Diwali after marriage and I thought I should making something.. Never ever have done seedai and all. Its amma who does everything and I used to help her in doing it. But now things have changed and its me who has to do everything.. Kinda weird na ;)...So here is the way I made seedai.. My hubby asked me do I need something else as well to eat this ;).. I said no..your teeth itself is enough..ye it was soft and crispy..never thought it will come out so well..

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Besan - 2 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 1tbsp
Salt
Ghee - 1tbsp
Oil for frying
Little chilli powder

1.Mix all the ingredients together.Add little water and make a tight dough into it.
2.In a pan add oil and let it heat.
3.Make small balls tightly with the dough.Make sure its really tight else it would burst while frying.
4.Fry until little brown and then put them into a tissue paper so that it will absorb the oil.

Note: In the pic there is a small piece left.What happenned was when I was frying it just bursted and fell away. I was like frightened. So make sure its really tight.

Easy Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

Bread - 2 slices of your choice
Garlic Powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Spinach - few leaves cut finely( Dint have parsley or any other herb) so used spinach :)
Olive oil - 1tsp

1.Mix garlic powder,salt,chopped spinach and olive oil in a small bowl.
2.Take little amount of the mixture and spread on the bread slice evenly.
3.In a pan put the bread slice and fry until light brown.
4.Do the same for other slices.

Pidi Kozhukattai

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2cups
Onion -1
Mustard -1tsp
Channa dal-1 tsp
Cashews - 10
Hot water
Salt
Oil

1.In a pan add oil and then add mustard and chana dal.
2.Add onion and saute till golden brown.
3.In a bowl take the rice flour,cashews,salt and then the onions.
4.Add hot water little by little and then mix well and make a small dough of it.
5.Take a hand full of it and close your hands and then keep it in a idly plate.
6.Similarly make all the pidi kozhukattai and steam for 15mins.

A very simple and yummy kozhukatai ready.

ICC July 2009 - Khaman Dhokla

Atlast made the dhokla's.:) since it was the Indian Cooking Challenge.

For Batter:

Bengal Gram flour / Besan - 250 gms (1 & 1/2 cup)
Curd - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp
Turmeric a pinch
G. Chili paste - 1 - 2 long (as per taste)
Sugar - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - quarter tsp

Sesame seeds
Mustard Seeds
Curry leaves
Grated coconut
Coriander leaves

Little water + Oil to be topped on dhoklas


1.Mix first 1/2 cup curds with 1/2 water. To this add the besan and mix well to get a lump less batter.

2. Slowly add more water if needed else, add the soda. Keep it aside to rise for 1 hour.

3.In a pressure cooker, fill the pan with water, place a plate over which you will have use a plate or vessel for steaming the dhoklas.

4.To the batter mix in theLemon juice, oil, salt, sugar, green chili paste and turmeric powder. Mix well. This has to be done just before pouring to the plate or vessel.

5.Meanwhile have the pan on stove, and let the water start boiling. When the water reaches the rolling stage, you can mix the Baking soda to the batter.
6.Pour the batter to the plate. Place the plate carefully inside the pressure pan and cover with lid. You need not use the whistle. After covering you will find steam coming out of the outlet, simmer and don't disturb for almost 5 -7 minutes.
7.After 5 -7 minutes, remove the lid and proof it using toothpick or knife. If the knife comes out clean and does not have any batter sticking, then its done. Cover back and let it remain on flame for 1 min and switch off the gas and allow it for 5 minutes.
8.In a bowl, mix 3 tsp of water along with a tsp of oil
Remove the plate from the pan, pour the water and oil mix over the top.

Heat a pan with oil, add curry leaves, sesame seeds, mustard seeds and finely chopped green chilies. When mustard starts popping, remove and pour over the dhokla.

I forgot to take the pic with the tempering :(

Vada Kari

I had some left over baked vada's that I made. So thought I will make vada kari with it.

Ingredients:

Masala Vadai - 5
Tomato -1
Onion - 1
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder and coriander powder - 1/2tsp each
Salt
Oil
mustard
Urad dal

1.In a pan add little oil and then add urad dal and mustard.
2.After it pops add onion and saute until brown.
3.Add tomatoes and saute well and cook for 5mins.
4.Add the masala powder and mix well.
5.Add little water and let it boil.
6.Make the vadas like bread crumbs.
7.Add them in the pan and add salt and let it soak well in the water.Close with a lid and then leave it in low flame for 5mins.

Serve hot with idly or dosai.

Low Fat Spicy Vadai

Iam sending this to Madhuram's Low fat baking event and Stack event.

Ingredients:

Channa dal - 1 cup
All purpose flour - 1/2cup
Baking soda - 1tbsp
Baking powder - 1/2tbsp
Chilli powder - 1tbsp
Fennel seeds - 1tbsp
Salt
Green bell pepper - 1 - finely chopped
Onion - 1 - finely chopped
Buttermilk - 1/2cup

1.Soak the channa dal for 3hrs.Coarsely grind the channa dal and fennel seeds without adding much water.
2.Mix all the ingredients.
3.The mixture should not be watery.Needs to be thick.
4.Pre heat oven to 400Degrees.
5.I used a muffin pan to bake it.
6.Sprayed some olive oil and then made small balls and filled in the muffin pan and bake it for 20 to 3omins.

Can turn it over and bake for another 5mins.
2.

Chickea and Urad Dal Vadai

I am sending this to Spill The beans event by Priya of Akshayapatram.

Ingredients:

Urad Dal - 1 cup Chickpea - 1cup - cooked
Onion - 1
Curry leaves - few
Salt

1. Soak a cup of Urad dal and chickpea for atleast 4hrs.

2. Pressure cook the chickpea for 1 whistle.Grind the dal and cooked chickpea without adding water at all.

3. Add the chopped onion,curry leaves and salt.

4. In a pan add oil and heat it.

5. Take a little of the dal mixture and deep fry them in the oil

Mixed Beans and Sweet Potato Cutlet

I am sending this to Spill The beans event by Priya of Akshayapatram.

Ingredients:



Sweet Potato - 1
Lima beans - 1/2 cup
Black eyes Beans - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1
Chilli powder - a pinch
Salt
Oil

1.Soak the lima beans and black eyed peas overnight.
2.Cook the beans and sweet potato.
3.Mash everything together and then add the chopped onion and then salt and chilli powder.
4.In a wide pan add little oil and then shallow fry by putting a small ball on the pan and fry both sides.

Sundal

Ingredients:

Chickpeas - 1cup - cooked

Mustard

Urad dal

Asafoedita - a pinch

Red chilli - 1

Oil

Salt

1.Soak the chicpeas overnight and pressure cook it for 1whistle and keep aside.

2.In a pan add little oil and add mustard,urad dal and asafoedita.

3.Then add the red chilli and then the cooked chickpeas.

4.Fry well for 5mins and serve hot.

Kothimbir Vadi

Ingredients:

1 big bunch of cilantro, washed and finely chopped

chickpea flour - 1 cup 

 rice flour - 1/4 cup

 green chillies - 4-5

 ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

 garam masala - 1 tsp

 turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

 asafoetida - a pinch

 lemon juice - 2 tsp

 baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Jeera - 1tbsp

salt to taste

oil for shallow frying

1.Grease a flat bottom vessel with oil.

2.Mix all the ingredients except oil with water to make a thick batter. Do not allow any lumps.

3.Pour into the prepared vessel. Steam cook for 30 minutes. 

4.Cool, unmould and cut into pieces.

Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the vadis on medium heat till crisp and brown.

Masala Kadalai ( Peanuts) - Microwave Version

Ingredients:

Peanuts - 1 cup

Besan - 1/4cup

Chilli powder - 1tbsp

Salt

Oil - 1tbsp

1.Mix all the ingredients in  a microwave safe bowl.

2.Microwave for 1min and then mix and then microwave for another 2 to 3mins.

Cool and Enjoy this healthy masala kadalai.

Coconut Kozhukattai

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 2 cups

Coconut Scrappings - 1cup

Salt

1.Mix all the ingredients into a dough.

2.Make small dumplings.

3.In one plate of the idly cooker cook for 10mins.

Vegetable Roll

Ingredients:

Tortilla - 2

Carrot - 1/2 cup

Peas - 1/2 cup

Potato - 1

Oil

Salt

Chilli powder- 1 tbsp

1.Pressure cook all the vegetables for 1 whistle.

2.In a pan add all the vegetables and add the chilli powder and salt.

3.Mix well until the raw smell goes away.

4.Heat the tortilla and then spread the vegetable mixture and roll it.

Baked Masala Vadai

Ingredients:

Channa Dal - 2 cups

Onion - 1

Red chilli -2

Green chilli -2

Fennel Seeds - 2tbsp

Salt

Oil

1.Soak the channa dal in water for 2hrs.

2.Grind the soaked channa dal,Fennel seeds and chilli without using water. It needs to be very thick.

3.Add the chopped onions,chilli and salt.

4.Pre heat oven to 250Degrees.

5.Make small balls of the mixture and slightly press it.Bake it for 20mins.

6.Spray little oil on top and bake for another 5mins.

It is very healthy when compared to the deep fried vadai.

Vegetable Bhaji

Ingredients:

Potato - 2

Cauliflower 

Onion - 1

channa dal - 2 cups

Baking soda - a pinch

salt

Chilli powder - 1tbsp

1.Grind the channa dal into  a fine powder.

2.Add chilli powder ,salt and baking soda.

3.Add water and make into a paste.

4.Cut the potato and Onion into thin round slices.

5.In a pan add oil and heat.

6.Dip the Potato,cauliflower florets and Onion in the paste and deep fry them.

Adharsam

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup

Jaggery - 1/2 cup

Salt - a pinch

Oil

1.Soak the raw rice for 2hrs in water.

2.Melt the jaggery in medium heat and let it cool completely.

3.Grind the rice without any water.It needs to be very thick.

4.Add the grinded rice to the jaggery mixture and add a pinch of salt.

5.Keep the mixture over night.

6.In a pan add oil and deep fry by putting a spoon of the mixture.

Vegetable Cutlet

Ingredients:

Potato - cooked - 1/2 cup

Carrot,Peas,cauliflower - cooked - 1 cup

Panneer- grated - 1/2

 cup

Egg White

Salt

Oil

Flour

1. Mash all the veggies and mix them well with salt.

2. Make small balls out of the mixture.

3. In  a plate put some flour and egg white and dip the small balls and keep it.

4. In a skillet add some oil and heat it.

5. Put one by one the floured mixture and fry them. I dint want to deep fry the vegies. So i used a skillet and added little oil around it and fried.

Kuli Paniyaram

I dint have a paniyaram pan so made them in muffin pan :).

Ingredients:

Idly Batter - 2 cups

Onion - 1

Mustard

Urad dal

Salt

Oil

1.In a pan add little oil and add mustard and urad dal.

2.After it pops add the onion and salt.

3.Saute till golden brown.

4.Add it to the idly batter

5.Grease the muffin pan and add the batter.

6.Bake it for 20 mins in 250Degrees.

I added brown sugar in some and made sweet paniyaram in a similar way.

Baked Potato

Ingredients:

Potato - 2

Chilli powder -1 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1tbsp

Salt

Oil

1.Peel the skin and cut the potatoes.

2. Pre heat the oven to 200Degress.

3. In a small bowl add salt,chilli and coriander powder. Add the potatoes and mix well.

4. In a baking sheet spray some oil and arrange the potatoes and bake for 15mins.

Baked Panneer

Ingredients:

Panneer - 1 cup - cut into squares

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1/2 tbsp

Lemon juice

Salt

Oil

1. Cut the pannerr into squares.

2. Mix all the mentioned ingredients and cover it for 20mins.

3. Preheat the oven to 200Degrees and bake it for 15mins.