Saturday, August 4, 2018

Thavalai Vadai

Hi All,How are you? Today we are going to cook a traditional item. It is famous in southern parts of Tamilnadu especially in Madurai and Thirunelveli. In olden days, say some 40,50 years ago, the newly weded couple were welcomed with this Thavalai vadai and wheat Halva, prepared by the MIL of the bridegroom. It was a tradition to welcome the bridegroom with thavalai vadai! My mother often cooked this item for evening tiffin, especially on Sundays. The thavalai vadai, vellai appam and kara vadai are Madurai's famous snack items. Now we are going to see how to prepare Thavalai vadai!

Ingredients: with this you can cook for 4 to 6 people.

Parboiled rice  One Cup
Raw rice           One cup
Thur Dhal       1/2 cup
Bengal gram   1/2 cup
Urad dhal        1/4 cup
Red chillies     3,4 numbers according to your taste
green chillies for grinding 2 and one green chilly to be cut into small pieces. Remove the seeds from the chillies.
ginger one inch piece cut into small pieces
Asafoetida  powder one full teaspoon or a piece of solid soaked in water
Salt to your taste
coconut pieces chopped finely into small pieces two table spoons
Cooking Oil for frying
Mung dhal 1/4 cup clean it and soak it before grinding started

Tempering
Coconut oil 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds,
Splitted urad dhal each one teaspoon
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves chopped finely

No automatic alt text available.

Clean and soak the rice separately. Clean the dhals and soak them also separately. Soak urad dhal separately. Soak them for 3, 4 hours. If you want it in evening then soak them 9.00AM in the morning and grind them at 2-00 PM. So you can make Thavalai vadai about 3-00PM or 3-30 PM.

After soaking for 3 or 4 hours filter the extra water from the rice. Put Red chillies+green chillies+salt +asafoetida in a mixie jar. Grind them into pieces. After that add the rice and grind it coursely. Now add the dhals after removing excess water. Grind it till the dhals are coarsely grinded. Remove the batter and change to a bowl and keep it aside. The batter should not be so thick or so thin. Now remove the excess water from the soaked urad dhal and grind it in the same jar. Grind the dhal till the bubbles come out. Then remove the batter from the mixie jar and add the batter to the already grinded rice+dhal batter.

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Now heat a kadai in a stove and pour 2 teaspoons of coconut oil. Add mustard seeds, urad dhal, finely chopped green chilly and ginger and curry leaves. Remove them from the heat and pour into the batter. Now add the already soaked Mung dhal after removing the water. Before adding it drain it for 5 minutes. Add finely chopped coriander leaves.  Mix them all very well with a spatula. Keep it for 5 to 10 minutes. The batter should be in dropping consistency.

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Now heat a kadai and pour the required amount of cooking oil to deep fry the thavalai vadai! When the oil started to hot bring down the flame in to medium heat and drop the thavalai vadai batter with the help of a scoop spoon.   Any medium sized spoon will be helpful. Deep fry it till it is golden brown. Enjoy your thavalai vadai with coconut chutney.


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Image may contain: food and indoor

Monday, June 11, 2018

Mango Rice!

Hi all!  This is mango season and I come up with a recipe from raw mango! This is very simple. You can prepare this like lemon rice also. But in this recipe I am going to give you some new taste. Now prepare the ingredients for the Mango rice. This is for 4 people.

One Raw mango Peel the skin and grate the mango using a box grater. Keep it aside.





   

For grinding

2 or 3 green chillies ( you can add or reduce according to your taste.)

Ginger one inch piece

grated coconut two table spoons

Jeeragam /cumin seeds one teaspoon



For tempering

Gingley oil (it is good to use gingley oil for this. If not available use any edible oil)

Mustard seeds one teaspoon

Urad dhal one teaspoon

chana dhal one teaspoon

Peanuts  one tablespoon full

hing (use elaborately if powder) if it is hard then take a pepper size

Turmeric powder

Red chilly 2 nos.

Kadi paththa (curry leaves)

cooked rice 2 cups



 Now grind the green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds with the grated coconut. Keep it aside.



Heat a kadai and pour the oil. When the oil begins to become hot add mustard seeds, and urad dhal, chana dhal one by one. Let them get brown. Add the peanuts also. Make sure the heat is in medium. Roast the peanuts till they become light brown. Add red chillies and curry leaves. Now add the grinde paste and stir well.  While stirring add turmeric powder and hing powder. If the hing is solid add it in the beginning before adding mustard seeds. Now gently stir the paste for 30 seconds. Now add the grated mango and salt. Fry it for atleast two minutes till the oil comes out. The mango will be well cooked and tender.


Just keep some quantity of mango paste aside.

Now remove the kadai from the stove and add the cooked rice and stir gently.  Mix it till  rice get yellow in colour. Put it in the stove and cook for another one minute. Turn off the stove.



I prepared Kadi (without cooking) for the side dish of this mango rice. To prepare Kadi instantly you can fry 2 red chillie, hing one small piece, thur dhal one teaspoon, chana dhal one teaspoon, dhania seeds 2 teaspoons, curry leaves, coconut grated two teaspoons.

Fry all the ingredients in  cooking oil . Let it cool. In the meantime take one cup of curd and gently churn it and make sure there is no lumps. Add turmeric powder and salt. Now grind the fried ingredients into a smooth paste and mix well with the curd already prepared. Temper with mustard   methi and curry leaves. Do not heat it in the stove. You can take it as it is. This will match with any thuvaiyal rice, lemon rice, podi rice also.  In tamil we used to call this as "pachchai morkuzampu" that means without heating the gravy. If you do not have coconut then you can prepare it without coconut also. Just fry the chillies and dhals with hing and curry leaves and grind it to a smooth paste and mix well with the curd. After tempering it is ready to eat.



Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Keerai Vadai! (spinach or greens)

Hi all,

We will make keerai vadai now. Vadai is a famous snack in Southern parts of India and people or making vadai with the mixed dhals or in Uradh dhal only. Now we are going to learn how to prepare keerai vadai with urad dhal.Mostly Keerai vadais are tea time snacks.  Usually we use arai keerai or siru keerai for making keerai vadai! But now people are living all over the world and they won't get arai keerai or siru keerai! You can easily get spinach or other green which is called as amaranth. (Green and red leaves are seen)

amaranth க்கான பட முடிவு

amaranth: Photo Courtesy: Google

arai keerai க்கான பட முடிவு

arai keerai Photo Courtesy: Google

siru keerai க்கான பட முடிவு

siru keerai Photo Courtesy: Google

Now the ingredients for keerai vadai approximately for four persons

One full Cup Urad dhal

one teaspoon Thur dhal, one teaspoon Bengal gram.

Split Urad dhal one table spoon

cooking oil for deep frying

Clean and wash the dhals in a bowl and soak them for atleast 2 hours. Some are using whole white urad dhal. Some are using split urad dhal. But we are going to use both of them. Just wait and see.

For grinding

2 green chillies and 2 red chillies according to your taste

salt as required, hing (optional) You can use hing powder also.

While the dhals are soaking you can clean and cut the greens.  Keep it aside. Wash and soak the split urad dhal before grinding the soaked dhal.

Now draing the soaking water and add the dhal in the mixie jar along with chilles and salt. Add a pinch of hing. Grind it to a smooth paste. Normally you cannot add water while grinding. If necessary add one or two teaspoons.  The texture should be thick. Now add the split urad dhal and grind it coarsely. Or you can put the dhal directly to the grinde texture and mix them well. This is the main secret of crispy and crunchy vadas.  Some people like to add the green chillies along with the chopped keerai. But it may be very hot to young children who wants to take one or two vadai! So it is better to grind the chillies with the dhal itself.

Now add the keerai and mix well. If you like onion cut one onion into small pieces and add them also. Normally while adding keerai we used to avoid adding coriander leaves or curry leaves. But it is optional.




Heat the oil in a kadai till it is hot. Now shape the vadais with your hands by dipping them in water. You can shape it in your palm or in a plastic sheet or in a plantain leaf which one is easy for you. Take a gooseberry size of batter and flatten it as a thin round.  Put a hole in the centre. Gently remove the vada and add it to the heating oil. Put the vada one by one by the same method.




Let the vada cook till it become really golden brown in colour. The vadai should be crispy. It will take some time to cook. So patiently wait for them to cook at least 5 to 6 minutes for one batch. When the vada is really golden in colour remove it from the stove and put it in a bowl. Serve hot with coconut chutney, Pudhina chutney and Masala Tea.



Monday, January 29, 2018

sakkarai pongal!

Hi All,

Now we are going to prepare sakkarai pongal! Hahaa, I know you all are wondering why it is necessary after the celebration of Pongal!  No, it is not like that. You can cook Pongal especially sakkarai pongal any day! Because we love it!

Now the ingredients for sakkarai pongal for 4 persons

one cup raw rice

half cup Moong dal (yellow)

Milk with fat half a litre.

Jaggery powder  2 to 3 cups(according to your taste. if it is from sugarcane then the taste is assured)

Cardamom powder one full teaspoon

ghee 200 grams

cashewnuts, kishmish or dried grapes, raisins

if you like the aroma then you can add edible camphor and nutmeg powder.

Now take a kadai and heat it in the stove. First add the Moong dhal and fry till it turns to fragrant. Remove it and keep aside. Then add the Raw rice and fry it for 2 minutes and remove it and keep it in another vessel.

Now take a thick bottomed vessel. I used to cook in bronze metal /gun metal pot. But it is not used by youngsters now-a-days. So if it is convenient for you to cook in a cooker take a cooker. First pour the milk and two tablespoons ghee. Wash the moong dal and put it in the cooker. Do not pressure cook! After the dal half cooked wash the rice and add it! Put a bowl full of water on the cooker and cover it.  It will become hot slowly.  Add that water little by little whenever it is necessary! After it is fully cooked add the jaggery powder! Let it cook for another 20 minutes. The consistency will become thick and begin to bubble up well. Now off the stove. In a small kaday Heat the remaining ghee and add cashewnuts, raisins one by one. Add them to the pongal. And add the cardamom powder along with the edible camphor powder and nutmeg powder(if necessary) Serve hot pongal to the members of your family.

If you want to pressure cook then add the moong dhal and rice add 3 cups of water and cook for two whistle or till it become soft. When the pressure is down remove the lid and add the half litre milk and let it cook for another 10 minutes or till the mixture is mashed well. Now add the jaggery and cook for another 20 minutes! Or you can take another pan and make jaggery syrup and add it to the pongal. Blend them well till the bubbles come up well. Rest is like what is written in the previous paragraph!

Taste your pongal  and enjoy!




Pongal celebrations 2015 January

Monday, January 22, 2018

Thiruvathirai Kali & Kuzambu

Hi All,

It is a long time since we last met! Now the festival season started and I was too busy concentrating my ill health and I am improving slowly. So just thought about to write one or two seasons foods recipe. Here in India it is Margazhi i.e. Margasirsha month and it is very much auspicious for Lord Shiva and Maha Vishnu! The Star Ardhra  the sixth one falls on a full moon day in this month.This is very auspicious and our Rishis told Lord Shiva's cosmic dance was danced by him before Pathanjali and Vyagrapadha on this day! It was said that the Universe was created by Lord Shiva on this day. As Pathanjali and Vyagrapatha performed their penance in Thillaivanam, now called as Chidambaram, they were enlightened to see Lord Shiva's Cosmic dance. It is called anandha thandavam. It was a full moon day and the stars which were seen as fire sphere was Arudhra stars.

So every year in Chidambaram the Ardhra Darshan is being celebrated in a grand manner. The Ardhra Star group is connected with the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. People made Kali and Kuzambu for nivedhanam. Here I gave the recipies of Kali and Kuzambu!

திருவாதிரை களி, குழம்பு க்கான பட முடிவு

Photo Courtesy: Google via You tube

Ingredients for Kali and kuzambu are as follows.

soak one cup rice in water for atleast 2 hours. Filter the water from the rice completely.

Heat the Kadai in the stove and fry the rice till it become golden brown. Let it cool for half an hour and grind it in a mixie jar like rava.

for one cup rice take one cup jaggery powder

cardamom powder half teaspoon

thur dhal soaked one tablespoon (soak the dhal for an hour before preparing kali)

ghee one table spoon and cashewnuts broken, fresh coconut grated or shredded coconut powder

Heat two to three cups of water in a non stick kaday or aliminium kaday. Here I used to make in (venkala uruli). wash the soaked dhal and remove water and add it to the boiling water. Add the jaggery powder. Let the jaggery dissolve completely in the water. Let it boil for some more time atleast 2,3 minutes. Then add the rice powder and stir well with a long spatula. cook it for 10 minutes till the rava become soft.

Now heat the ghee in another kaday and add cashewnuts till it become golden brown. Remove it and add it to the kali. Now fry the coconut powder in the same heated ghee in the same kaday. Add it to the kali. Add the cardamom powder and stir well. Serve hot with the kuzambu and butter.


Kali kuzambu

திருவாதிரை களி, குழம்பு க்கான பட முடிவு

Photo Courtesy: Google via Sashiga's kitchen

Baingan one

Raw banana one

Avarai kay and kothavarai kai  10 to 15 numbers each

sweet potato (if available) one

Parangi kay  one small piece

poosani kay one smaal piece

senai kizangu (there only frozen is available)

If you like you can add beans and carrot also. Do not add potato or Arvi(sepangizangu)

Thur dhal cooked one cup

Tamarind leman size. soak it and extract juice

salt to taste

Hing one small piece or powder half tea spoon

cooking oil one table spoon

For frying (masala)

Red chillies  4,5 numbers

Dhania two table spoons

Channa dhal two teaspoons

hing powder

Methi half teaspoon

urad dhal half teaspoon

Kala mirchi (pepper) half teaspoon

raw rice one teaspoon

coconut powder  one table spoon

Tempering

Coconut oil if available or any cooking oil

Mustard seeds, one red chilly, Kadi paththa(for frying)

Fry all the ingredients in oil except coconut powder and grind to a paste or powder adding coconut powder.

Boil the vegetables and cook them first. Add turmeric powder and salt for the vegetables only.

While the vegetable half boiled add the tamarind juice, and the required salt for tamarind only. If you are confused in adding salt, then let the vegetables cooked without adding salt and add the required salt while adding tamarind juice.

Let it boil for 5 to 10 minutes and add the boiled and smashed thur dhal along with the grinded masala.  Let it boil for 5 more minutes. Temper with Mustard, kadi paththa and red chillies. Add the freshly chopped coriander leaves while serving.