Thayir/Curd Vada

Ingredients:

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• Vadas - Refer to my recipe of Medu Vada.
• curd - Semi-thick - sufficient enough to immerse the vadas.
• Onion - 1 small size
• coriander leaves - little,for garnishing
• Boondhi(spicy one)- a handful for garnishing(optional)

For Tempering:

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• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Cashews - 4 to 5 ,broken (optional)

Method:

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• Allow the vadas to cool down completely.May be 6 hours after preparing the vadas,immerse them in water and leave for 10 min.
• Take it out and squeeze out the water completely.
• Mix little salt in curd.(As the vada has salt already in it,add only little salt )
• Then immerse the vadas in curd and set aside for 1 hour.
• Temper with the given ingredients.
• Garnish with chopped onions ,coriander leaves and Boondhi.

Medu Vada-A typical TamilNadu Breakfast

This recipe serves three.

Ingredients:

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• Whole Urad dal(skinless) - 100 grams
• Green chillies - 3
• Pepper ,crushed coarsely - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds,crushed coarsely - 2 tsp
• curry leaves - 2 sprigs,chopped finely
• Ginger - a 1 inch piece,chopped very finely
• Salt - to taste
• Coconut (Dried/Kopra) - 2 tsps,finely chopped
• Onion (optional) - 1,finely chopped
• rice flour - 3 tbsp
• hing - 1/2 tsp

Method:

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Medu Vada turns out really fluffy and crispy when done in a grinder than in a mixer.This is mainly due to the aeration in the process of grinding.So I prefer to use a grinder.Mixer can also be used ,but then aeration has to be done manually after grinding the batter.

• Wash and soak the Urad dal for exactly 1 hour.
• Drain the excess water.
• Add half of urad dal with green chillies and start the grinder.Do not add water immediately.
• Let it grind for a min.Then just sprinkle water.
• Add the rest of urad dal and rice flour too.Keep sprinkling water in between so that the Urad dal grinds uniformly into a nice fluffy batter.
• The consistency has to thick enough to take it in hands and form a ball.So be careful in adding water.
• Once its ground well,add the cumin seeds,pepper powder,curry leaves,onions,ginger,salt,coconut and hing to it.
• Keep mixing the batter well using your hands for 10 min.This enhances more aeration.If you use a mixer,then aeration timing can be increased to 15 min.
• Heat oil in a kadai,Have water in a bowl.
• When the oil is hot enough,start the process of making vada.
• Wet your fingers with the water in the bowl,take little batter(according to the side of vada) and make a hole with your thumb as shown.
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• Gently drop it into the kadai and keep sauting on a low flame till it turns golden brown.
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• You can make 5 to 6 vadas at a time.
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• Drain the excess oil using a tissue paper.
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Serve hot with Idly sambar/Coconut chutney.

Refer to the videos for better understanding.

Vadacurry

Ingredients:

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• Chana dal/kadala parupu - 100 grams
• onions - 2 medium sized,very finely chopped
• curry leaves - 3 sprigs,finely chopped
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Star anise - 2 small
• cloves - 1
• cinnamon - a half inch stick
• saunf - 1/2 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• tomatoes - 2 medium sized,finely chopped
• mint leaves - 1 handful
• ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
• green chillies - 2,slit open
• turmeric powder - A pinch
• coriander powder - 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1 handful
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Cashews - 5 to 6,broken

Method:

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• Wash chana dal well and soak in water for 2 hours.
• Drain excess water and set aside in a colander for 5 min.

• Add the soaked dal, little salt in a mixer and just pulse once /twice ...The consistency should be like a vada(coarse).Do not grind into a paste and do not add water.
• Add half of chopped onions,curry leaves and mix well.
• Tap into round flat vadas and keep in idly plates.
• Steam for 10 minutes.

• Set aside the steamed dal mixture to cool down to room temperature.
• Break down the vada into small crumbles and set aside.

• Heat oil in a kadai.Add the whole spices(star anise,cloves,cinnamon,saunf,jeera) and when it splutters,add rest of onions,green chillies,ginger-garlic paste,mint leaves and saute till the onions turn transparent.
• Add tomatoes,turmeric powder,red chilli powder,coriander powder and saute till the raw smell goes off.
• Add 2 cups of water and salt.Mix well and allow it to boil.
• When it boils,add the dal crumbles and mix well.Adjust the quantity of water if required.
• Let it cook on a medium flame for 5 min.The consistency should be thick as shown in the picture.
• Heat ghee in a tadka pan,add cashews and roast till it turns golden brown.
• Garnish with roasted cashews and ghee and coriander leaves.

Serve with dosa/Idly.

Moong dal & Dhalia kichdi

Ingredients:

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• Dhalia(Broken wheat) - 1/2 cup
• Washed split moong dal - 1/2 cup
• salt - to taste
• Green peas - 1 handful
• Carrot - 1 medium sized,finely chopped
• Capsicum - 1 small,finely chopped
• French beans - 6,finely chopped
• Onion - 1 medium sized,finely chopped
• green chillies - 2 to 3,slit open
• water - 2 to 2.5 cups
• Ghee - 3 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Red chilli - 1
• asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

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• Wash moong dal and dhalia twice or thrice.
• Drain excess water and leave in the colander for 5 min.

• Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a kadai.Add dalia and moong dal mixture.
• Saute well till it turns brown.Remove from fire and set aside.

• Heat oil and rest of ghee in the kadai.Add hing ,curry leaves and jeera.When it splutters,add onions,green chillies and saute well.
• Add capsicum and saute till it becomes tender.
• Add peas,carrots,beans and saute till they turn tender.
• Add salt,water and cook covered till they veggies are 80% done.
• Add the roasted moong-dalia mixture,add little water if required and cook covered till it gets cooked well.

Adjust the quantity of water as and when required.

Serve hot with sugar/pickle/curd.

Tomato Chapati

Ingredients:

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• Wheat flour/Atta - 2 cups
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Ripe tomatoes - 2 to 3
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 2 tsp,finely chopped
• Hing - 1/4 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp,crushed
• Kasuri methi - 2 tsp

Method:

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• Add oil in a kadai.When it becomes hot,add hing and jeera.
• When it splutters,add finely chopped tomatoes,turmeric powder,salt and red chilli powder.
• Saute well on a medium flame till the raw smell goes off and it turns into a paste.
• Switch off the flame.Add coriander leaves , kasuri methi and mix well.
• Add wheat flour in a wide open vessel.Add the tomato paste little by little and knead well into a dough.Do not add water.
• Set aside for 1/2 an hour.
• Spread into a roti and and cook well on both sides on a tava with little oil.

Serve hot with curd and lime pickle.

Kabuli chana dosa

Ingredients for the filling:

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• kabuli chana - 3 handful (soaked overnight and pressure cooked)
• Tomatoes - 3 medium sized
• onion - 1 big
• capsicum - 1
• ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
• curry leaves - 2 sprigs
• coriander leaves - 1 tbsp,finely chopped
• salt - to taste
• dhania powder - 1.5 tsp
• jeera powder - 1 tsp
• chole masala/garam masala powder - 2 tsp
• hing - 1/4 tsp
• oil - 1 tbsp
• mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• jeera - 1/4 tsp
• kasuri methi - 2 tsp
• turmeric powder - a pinch
• red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• green chillies - 2

Method:

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• Grind together green chillies and (soaked and cooked)chana to a coarse paste.Just 1 or 2 pulse will do.
• Heat oil in a kadai,add mustard seeds,hing and jeera seeds.
• When it splutters,add curry leaves,chopped green chillies,ginger garlic paste and finely chopped onions and saute well til the onions turn transparent.
• Add finely chopped capsicum and saute till it turns tender.
• Add finely chopped tomatoes,turmeric powder,dhania powder,chole masala/garam masala powder,jeera powder,salt and saute till the raw smell goes off.
• Add the ground chana paste and little water.Keep sauting on a medium flame till it tuns into a thick gravy.(should be easy for spreading)
• Add finely chopped coriander leaves and kasuri methi.Mix well and allow it to cool down slightly.

For the dosa:

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• Keep the regular dosa batter and the filling ready.
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• Make a regular dosa,cooking on both sides.
• Finally spread the filling across the dosa,leave for a min (Do not turn over).
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• Fold it and serve with a pinch of butter on top.

This filling goes very well with rotis also.