Cabbage Vada

Ingredients

Urad Dal		1 Cup
Rice		1 tbsp
Ginger		1 small piece
Green chillies		3
Mustard seeds		1/2 tsp
Hing(Asafoetida)		a pinch
Curry Leaves		a few leaves
Cabbage(chopped)		200 gms
Oil for frying

Method:
1. Soak the Urad dal for 45 mins along with a table spoon of rice.
2. Blend it in to a smooth paste by adding very little water  .
3. Add salt, cabbage, ginger and finely chopped chilli in to the blender.
4. Season the batter with the mustard, hing and curry leaves.
5. keep water in a bowl to wet the hands and take a small amount of batter and make a hole in the center and fry it in the oil till golden color.
6. Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Nellikai Podi/ Gooseberry powder

Ingredients:
---------------

• Gooseberry -  15 to 20 ( Nellikai )
• Salt             -   to taste
• Red chillies -   6 to 7( according to taste)
• Asafoetida  -   a pinch ( Perungayam/ Hing)
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp ( Vendhayam)
• Jaggery               -  1 tsp

Method:

----------

• Wash and pat dry the gooseberries.
• Shred the gooseberries in a grater.
• Dry it in sun for a day.
• Saute the grated gooseberries in a kadai till the moisture is evaporated.Set aside to cool.
• Dry roast fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and red chillies in the same kadai.
• Grind the above ingredients in a mixer.
• Add the dried and grated gooseberries ,salt and jaggery to it.
• Grind the above ingredients into a coarse powder.
• Adjust salt and jaggery according to your taste.

Have with rice,ghee and papad.

Karadaiyan Nombu Adai - Kara Adai

This recipe makes 20 to 25 adais.

Ingredients:

--------------

Rice flour                       - 1 cup (240 ml)

Water                             - 2 cups

Coconut oil                    - 2 tsp

Coconut                         - Scrap and cut into thin slices ( 1 to 1.5 tbsp)

Cow peas/Karamani        - 1 handful  ( Soak in water for 4 hours and pressure cook with little water)

Finely chopped ginger     - 2 tsp ( from a 1 inch piece)

Green chillies                  - 2 , finely chopped

Lemon juice                    - extracted fro half a lemon ( optional)

Salt                                 - to taste

Mustard seeds                 - 1.5 tsp

Split urad dal                   - 1 tsp

Curry leaves                    - a sprig

Method:

----------

• Dry roast the rice flour in a kadai on a medium flame for 10 to 15 min. The end point is when you draw a line with the flour,it should flow continuously as shown.
• Set aside in a plate to cool down to room temperature.

• Add coconut oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
• Saute till urad dal turns light brown.
• Add green chillies, ginger,coconut slices and cooked karamani/ cow peas.
• Saute for few seconds.

• Add measured quantity of water and salt. 
• Mix well.
• When it starts to boil, add the rice flour and mix well with a flat spatula on a low flame.
• Within few minutes, you will get a smooth dough leaving the sides of kadai. 

• When it is warm enough, pour lemon juice and mix well.Take a small ball of dough and pat into flat round adais.
• Make a hole in the centre with your finger.
• Steam the adais in a idly plate for 15 min. When it appears shiny on the outside, then it is done.
• Take out and set aside for some time,then take them out . When it cools down slightly, the adais will not stick to the plate. 
• Serve with softened butter.

Karadaiyan Nombu Adai- Vella Adai

Karadaiyan Nombu is  observed by south Indian Brahmin ladies for the welfare and long life of their husbands. It is similar to the Karva chauth in North India. This year (2012) , Karadaiyan Nombu was observed on March 14th. To know more about the festival, click here.

The Kara adai and vella adai are offered as neivedyams with softened butter. Here is the recipe for the vella adai.This recipe makes 20 to 25 adais.

Ingredients:
--------------

• Rice flour                        - 1 cup (240 ml)
• Coarsely crushed jaggery - 1 cup ( 240 ml)
• Water                              - 2 cups
• Crushed cardamom          -  4  ( Put the outer cover in tea.It adds to the flavour)
• Ghee                               -  2 tsp
• Coconut                         -   Scrap and cut into thin slices ( 1 to 1.5 tbsp)
• Cow peas/Karamani        -   1 handful  ( Soak in water for 4 hours and pressure cook with little water)

Method:

-----------

• Dry roast the rice flour in a kadai on a medium flame for 10 to 15 min. The end point is when you draw a line with the flour,it should flow continuously as shown.
• Set aside in a plate to cool down to room temperature.

• Crush the jaggery with a pestle and measure the required quantity.

• Adjust the quantity of jaggery and water according to your quantity of rice flour.
• (Ratio of rice flour : jaggery : water = 1: 1: 2)
• Add the crushed jaggery and water in the same kadai .
• Stir on a medium flame. When the jaggery melts completely, drain the solution to remove any dirt.
• Add the strained solution to the same kadai and allow it to boil.
• Add the cooked karamani and coconut slices into it.
• Immediately add the rice flour and stir continuously on a low flame without any lumps.

• Within 3 to 5 min, you will get a smooth dough leaving the sides of kadai.
• At this point, switch off the flame.
• Add cardamom powder and ghee. Mix well . Use a flat spatula.
• When it is warm enough, take a small ball of dough and pat into flat round adais.
• Make a hole in the centre with your finger.
• Steam the adais in a idly plate for 15 min. When it appears shiny on the outside, then it is done.

• Take out and set aside for some time,then take them out . When it cools down slightly, the adais will not stick to the plate.

Serve with softened butter.

Click here for Kara adai.

Crunchy Beetroot & Masoor dal soup

This nutritious soup is easy to prepare and is very filling too. It is crunchy because it has very small chunks of beetroot and onion that is not completely blended. Try it out! One heavy serving of this soup can even replace a light dinner and it is highly nutritious.

This recipe serves 3.

Ingredients:
---------------

• Beetroot  -   3 medium sized
• Carrots    -   1 medium sized
• Masoor dal  -  1/4 cup
• Salt             -   to taste
• Onion         -   1 finely chopped
• Butter         -   1 tsp (add more for richness)
• Crushed Peppercorns    -  4 to 6 ( according to taste)

Method:

-----------

• Peel off the skin and chop beetroots & carrots into very tiny pieces.
• Wash and add the masoor dal to the chopped slices.
• Add water sufficient enough to cook the veggies and dal.
• With the required salt, pressure cook the mixture.
• With a hand blender / mixer,  blend the cooked vegetables.( If you use a mixer, cool the mixture to room temperature and then blend)
• Do not blend it completely. Just pulse twice/ thrice leaving tiny chunks of beetroot.
• Add little water if it is too thick. Warm it again if it not hot.
• In a kadai, add butter,finely chopped onions and crushed pepper.
• Saute till the onions turn light brown.Adjust salt and pepper according to your taste.
• Garnish the soup with the sauteed onions.

Serve hot.

Lemon Sevai and Thengai/coconut Sevai (Rice noodles )

Lemon Sevai

------------------

Ingredients

----------------

• Cooked Rice noodles  -      3 cups( Refer to the recipe with the provided link)
• Lemon juice                -     extracted from  1 lemon
• Ginger, chopped finely -     1 inch piece
• Green chillies               -     2 to 3 ( finely chopped)
• Curry leaves                -     5 to 6
• Coriander leaves          -     finely chopped
• Gingelly oil                  -     1 tsp
• Mustard seeds             -     1/2 tsp
• Chana dal                    -     1 tsp  ( kadalaparuppu)
• Split urad dal               -     1/2 tsp ( ulutham parupu)
• Asafoetida                   -     a pinch
• Turmeric powder         -     1/2 tsp

Method:

-----------

• Heat oil in a kadai. Add asafoetida and mustard seeds.
• When it splutters add chana dal , urad dal and saute till golden brown.
• Add curry leaves,ginger,green chillies and turmeric powder.
• Saute for a second and add the cooked sevai/rice noodles.
• Mix well and break the noodles slightly.
• Switch off and pour lime juice.
• Mix well and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with coconut chutney. coriander leaves in the chutney's recipe is optional.

THENGAI SEVAI 
---------------------------

• Sevai/rice noodles - 3 cups
• Coconut oil                        -   2 to 3 tsp
• Mustard seeds                    - 1 tsp
• Red chillies                         -  3
• Urad dal, chana dal             - 1 tsp each
• Curry leaves                       - a sprig
• Shredded coconut              - 1/2 cup
• Cashews                           - 5(roasted to golden brown in a tsp of ghee)

You can also do this tempering without coconut and cashews.

• In a kadai, add coconut oil and mustard seeds.
• When it splutters, add the dals and saute till golden brown.
• Add curry leaves and red chillies.
• Saute for few sec and add shredded coconut.Fry for 2 to 3 sec more.
• Add the cooked rice noodles/sevai and mix well.
• Garnish with roasted cashews.

Serve with coconut chutney.

Sevai ( Home made rice noodles)

This recipe serves 2 adults.

Ingredients:
--------------

• Idly rice                 -       250 grams 
• Salt                        -       according to taste
• Water                     -       as required.

Method:
-----------

• Wash the rice 2 to 3 times.
• Soak the rice in water for 2 hours.
• Add water little by little and grind the soaked rice with salt into a very smooth paste with a grinder.
• The consistency of the ground batter should be shown below.

• In a kadai, add a laddle or 1/8th cup of gingelly oil.
• To it, add the ground batter and keep stirring on a medium flame till it becomes a soft dough as shown below.

• Keep aside to cool down to room temperature.
• Dip your hands in water and make into dumplings as shown below.

• Steam the dumplings for 15 min.The outer layer will turn shiny.
• To make sevai, you need a sevai maker as shown below. There are also other types available in the market.

• The dumplings have to be put in the sevai maker when it is hot otherwise it will harden very much.
• So after 15 min of steaming, take 1 or 2 dumplings from the steamer with a fork and put it immediately in the sevai maker.
• Close and keep the remaining dumplings in the steamer itself so that it remains hot.
• Rotate the handle of sevai maker. Place a plate beneath the sevai maker.As you turn the handle,hold the legs of the sevai maker so that it does not move.Rice noodles will emerge from the holes as shown.
• Repeat the process for all the dumplings.

• Basic homemade rice noodles is ready. You can flavour it as per your choice.

Ammini kozhukattai ( Rice flour balls )

 Ammini or mini kozhukattai are tiny steamed balls made with rice flour. You can get ready made rice flour  in any super market. It is an easy to make snack and you can improvise the taste with any flavour/seasoning. Here is the basic version of it with simple seasoning.There is also a sweet version of this with jaggery and cardamom powder. Will post the recipe of it soon.

Ingredients:
--------------

• Rice flour   -      1 cup
• Water         -      as required ( 1 to 1.5 cups)
• Salt            -      to taste
• Coconut oil -     1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves    - few
• Urad dal          -  1/2 tsp 
• Dried red chilli  - 1
• Idly molgapodi -    according to taste ( for the spicy ones)

Method:

-----------

• Add rice flour with required salt ( 1/2 tsp) in a wide bowl. Add water little by little to make a smooth semi solid paste as shown.Make sure there are no lumps.

• In a kadai , add 1/4 cup water and when it starts boiling, add the above paste and keep stirring till you get a smooth dough.Do not let the dough to be very firm as it thickens little bit after switching off the flame.

Refer to the video below.

• When the dough comes to room temperature, make small balls out of it as shown. Dip your palm in water every time when it sticks.

• Steam for 5 to 10 min. The outer layer will turn shiny once it is done. Check if it is cooked.
• For the spicy version, add idly molagapodi ( say 3 to 5 tsp) to the dough and knead well.
• Make small balls as before and steam for 5 to 10 min.

• Carefully take out the steamed balls with a flat spatula once it is warm. Make sure you do not break it or they do not cling to each other.
• In a kadai, add 1/2 tsp coconut oil and mustard seeds . When it splutters add urad dal and saute till they turn golden brown.
• You can even add a tbsp of shredded coconut while tempering.
• Add curry leaves, red chilli and the steamed balls. Mix well and saute for 2 to 3 sec.
• Repeat the tempering ( optional) for the spicy kozhukattai too.

Serve hot.

Vegetarian Bean Boat (Baguette with baked beans)

  Ingredients:
-----------------









1 Baguette (French Bread) - cut horizontally

2 tbsp - butter softened

Baked beans - 1 1/4 cup ( a small tin)

Oil - 3 tsp

Onions - 2 (finely chopped)

Capsicum - 1 (finely chopped)

Salt - to taste

Black pepper - 1/2 tsp

chilli sauce - 1/2 tsp

coriander leaves - 2 Tbspn (finely chopped)

cheese - 3 tbsp(grated) or as per your taste

Method:

1. Gently scoop out some bread from the cut pieces,leaving a border of (approx) 1" all around to from a boat.









(The scooped out bread is not needed in this recipe.You may dry and powder it to make crumbs)






2. Apply little butter to the scooped out surface and its border.
3. Heat oil in a pan.Add onions and fry till transparent.
4. Add capsicums and stir for a minute.

5. Add salt,pepper and chilli sauce.Remove from fire.
6. Add baked beans and mix well.

7. Use this filling to fill the boat like a scoop.
8. Sprinkle grated cheese and some coriander leaves on the top.
9. Grill for 3-4 minutes or microwave at medium power for 2 mins till the cheese melts slightly .

Serve hot.

Nendranga tholi upperi ( Peel of Nendran raw banana)

Nendran is a type of banana cultivated in Kerala. Perhaps the tastiest of all bananas, Nendran has in fact been the staple fruit and vegetable of Malayalees from ancient times. Almost every portion of the Nendran plant is used by Keralites. The recipes are too many.The raw banana itself can be made into mezhukupuratty (fry) with/ without peel. In such case, the peels can be seperately used to make the tholi upperi. If you can find a Kerala chips shop in your place, then on your purchase of chips you can ask for the peels which they may not use. They will give it to you for free.:)

Here is one recipe with the Peels of nendran banana.Tholi refers to the peel and Upperi to stir fry. This particular dish is rich in fibre and can be served with rice and morekootan/pulissery.Refer to the kootan section for those recipes.

This recipe serves four.

Ingredients:
--------------
Nendran peels  -  300 grams
cow peas         -  200 grams ( red variety)
Green chillies   - 3 to 4
Shredded coconut  - 1/4 cup
Coconut oil            - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds        - 1 tsp                      
Split urad dal          - 1 tsp                
curry leaves            - 1 sprig                

Turmeric powder    - 1/4 tsp
Salt                        -  to taste

Method:
----------
Soak cow peas overnight.
Wash the nendran peels and chop into small pieces.
Pressure cook the cow peas with half salt. (Just 2 to 3 whistles will do. Do not overcook it)
Cook the nendran peels in a kadai with water just sufficient to cover it with a pinch of turmeric powder.
Add the remaining salt to the peels once it is half cooked.
Once it is cooked, transfer the contents onto a plate.Drain if there is excess water from the cow peas and nendran peels.
Pound shredded coconut and green chillies finely.
In the same kadai, add coconut oil.
When it is hot, add mustard seeds and urad dal.
When it splutters, add curry leaves and the coconut-chilli mixture.
Saute for few sec and add the cooked cow peas and nendran peels.
Mix well and cook for few sec.

Serve hot

Apple smoothie

Ingredients:
--------------

• Apple                            -     2
• Dates                             -     2
• Cashews                        -     2
• Honey                           -     according to taste
• Milk                              -     2 cups

Method:
----------

• Soak dates and cashews in little warm milk for half an hour.
• Peel off the apple's skin and chop into small slices.
• Blend the apple pieces along with dates,cashews and milk.
• Add honey as per your taste.
• Serve chilled.

Paruppu Kanji- Neivedhyam for Shivarathiri

Paruppu Kanji is a nutritious porridge with moong dal and milk.This is a good neivedhyam too.This is normally made during Shivarathiri.

This recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients:

Moong dal   -   1 cup
Jaggery        -   3/4 to 1 cup ( according to your taste)
Milk             -   3 cups
Elachi/ cardamom pwd  - 1/2 tsp
Water       -   2 cups

Method:

1. Dry roast the moong dal till it turns golden brown witha nice aroma.
2. Wash the roasted moong dal.
3. Pressure cook the dal with 2 cups of water.(After it is cooked,mash the dal)
4. In a kadai, add the crushed jaggery and 1 cup of water.
5. Heat the mixture till all the jaggery gets melted.
6. Immediately switch off the flame and strain the dirt with a strainer.
7. In the same kadai, add the jaggery solution and cooked dal.
8. Allow it to boil.
9. Once it boils, add the milk and cook for 5 min.
10. Garnish with cardamom powder.

Serve hot.

Brinjal slab

 

Ingredients:

1. Gram Flour(Kadalai mavu) - 3 tbsp
2. Rice Flour - 1 tbsp
3. Red chilli pwd- 2 tsp
4. Hing/Perungayam - 1/4 tsp
5. Dhania pwd - 2 tspn
6. Jeera pwd - 1 tsp
7. Garam masala pwd- 1 tsp(Optional)
8. Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the powders and keep aside.
2. Slice the brinjals (not very thin).
3. Soak them in salt water for a while.( 5 to 10 min)

4. Take the brinjals and rub both sides of each slice in the powder mixture.

5. Microwave the marinated slices for 2 mins.

5. Shallow fry in a dosa tawa with little oil till it gets roasted.

 Serve medium hot.Kids will love this dish.