Momos/dimsum

Chicken momos/dim sum with hot chilly sauce

Momos are basically the unofficial national dish of Tibet,it is also knows as dim sum or dumplings in different parts of Asia . Every family has a slightly different momo recipe, with various theories on how to make them the most juicy and delicious, or how to keep the dough skins to the desired delicate thinness.The variations are endless momos can be meat, vegetarian, steamed (the most popular), fried, and cooked in soup. 

                    Momos are undoubtedly an innovative low calorie snack! flour wrappers are filled with a healthy filling of chicken and mixed veggies like carrot,cabbage,capsicum (red and green) and spring onions and steamed to make an appetizing snack.In this recipe i have used only 2tsp of oil just to glaze the momos. In this momos i have used chicken breast mince ,which is a great source of protein. One 6 oz. serving of chicken contains 48 g of protein.It is also rich in potassium, calcium and contains no carbohydrates. The nutritional make-up of chicken makes it a healthy, filling food option. By eating healthy cuts of chicken, you'll consume only a small amount of calories and your stomach will stay full for hours. This decreases your likelihood of snacking on unhealthy foods later in the day .Along with chicken i have used 3 "C" carrot,cabbage and capsicum. 

In short Momos are bundle of vitamin C, a range of B vitamins ,beta carotene and rich source of protein.

Prep time: 60 mins
Cook time: 10-15 mins

Yield: 25
Cooking Directions
For the Dough:

• 3 cups Maida/all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup water for kneading

• Mix the flour and water very well by hand and keep adding water until you make a pretty smooth ball of dough.
• Then knead the dough very well until the dough is flexible.
• Now leave your do
  ugh in the pot with the lid on while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.You should not let the dough dry out, or it will be hard to work with.

For themomo filling:

• 2 Onions
• 2 inch Ginger
• 7 - 8 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 bunch of coriander
• 1 cup cabbage chopped finely
• 500 Grams Chicken breast
• 1 each Red and Green capsicum
• 1 carrot
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
•  Salt to taste

1. Chop all the following ingredients into very, very small pieces:
2. mince the chicken and then put all of the ingredients in a pot or big bowl,and then add two tablespoons of soy sauce.
3. Mix everything together very well.
4. Then use your food processor to blend all the ingredients ,now our filling is ready.

Shaping the Momos

1. When your dough and filling are both ready, it is time for the tricky part of making the dumpling shapes.For this, place the dough on a chopping board and use a rolling pin to roll it out quite thinly.small ball of dough and rolling each ball in your palms until you have a smooth ball of dough.
2. Then, you can use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough into a circle, making the edges more thin than the middle. Now that you have a small, flat, circular piece of dough, you are ready to add the filling and make the momo shapes.
3. The half-moon momo is very pretty.
4. For this style, you begin the same as with the round momo style, holding the flat circular dough in your left hand and putting a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the dough.
5. Then you have to fold your circle of dough in half, covering over the filling.
6. Now press together the two edges of the half circle so that there is no open edge in your half circle, and the filling is completely enclosed in the dough.
7. You will now have the basic half-moon shape, and you can make your momo pretty by pinching and folding along the curved edge of the half circle.
8. Start at one tip of the half-moon, and fold over a very small piece of dough, pinching it down.
9. Continue folding and pinching from the starting point, moving along the edge until you reach the other tip of the half-moon.
10. You can experiment with different folds and pinches to find the way that is easiest and nicest for you.
11. I have prepared 3 different shapes half moon,boat shape and round shape which i have used in my soup
12. You can lay the momos in the lightly-greased steamer and keep the lid on them, or you can lay them on wax paper and cover them with the damp cloth.

Final step...steaming

1. Finally, you should boil water in a large steamer.
2. Oil the steamer surface lightly before putting the momos in, so they won�t stick to the metal, then place as many as you can without touching each other.
3. Add the momos after the water is already boiling.
4. Steam the momos for about 10 minutes, then serve them hot, with hot sauce to dip them in.

Hot Chilly sauce:

1. 10-red hot chillies soaked in vinegar for 2days (1/2 cup vinegar)
2. 10 - garlic cloves( crushed)
3. 1tbsp-tomato puree
4. 1-shallot
5. 1tsp - Worcestershire sauce
6. salt and sugar or to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients into one pot,simmered gently for 10-15 mins then whirled into a puree in a blender.
2. your sweet, fresh, acidic and tangy garlic-chilly sauce is ready to relish!

Variations:

• Vegetarians can try this with soya granules or paneer /cottage cheese or tofu as a chicken substitute in your favorite dimsum recipe.

Herbal tea for common cold

Are cold symptoms making you feel miserable? Here is one simple home remedy you can use right now -- at home -- to feel better.
Making herbal tea is absolutely the simplest form of medicine! All you need is desired herb, boiling water and a sauce pan
 For medicinal herbal tea to be effective, it should be administered in small amounts several times a day. You can easily make a whole quart-full and store it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20-25 mins
Yield: 2-2 1/2 cups

  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Fresh sambar balli /cuban oregano leaves
• 1tsp Black pepper corns ( crushed)
• 1/2 tsp Ajwain
• 1/2tsp Ginger powder
• 8-10 Garlic cloves ( crushed)
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1tbsp Honey

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and clean sambar balli leaves,roughly chop and keep aside.
2. Take a pan,dry roast garlic and ajwain for a Min.
3. Now take 5 cups of water in a sauce pan and add all the ingredients except lemon and honey.
4. Continue boiling till it reduces to half,about 2-21/2 glass.It will take about 20 mins on low flame.
5. Now strain the decoction and serve hot with honey and lemon juice.
6. Store unused portions in the refrigerator for later use

Banana Pancake with caramelized banana and caramel sauce

Banana pancakes are a firm favourite with one and all ,from the kids to the oldies.The real beauty of banana pancakes truly are an uncomplicated, versatile, quick and easy to make nutritious dish that can be enjoyed any time of the day,Specially if it is served with caramelized banana and caramel sauce. Furthermore; even those over-ripe bananas, which would otherwise be thrown into the trash can be used in the production of banana pancakes. This is something we are all going to have to come to terms with in these economically difficult times.Let us start with a basic banana pancake recipe and then move on to making some changes and additions to give your banana pancakes that something special; the personal touch. Get the basics right and own the dish

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 40-45 Mins
Yield: 15
Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup All purpose flour/maida
• 11/2tsp Baking powder
• 1/2tsp Baking soda
• 1/2 cup Butter melted
• 1/2tsp vanilla essence
• 3 Egg whites
• 2 Egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup Caramel sauce 
• Caramelized Banana  for topping

Cooking Directions

1. First task is to thoroughly mash two of the bananas in a mixing bowl and then thinly slice the third banana into the same bowl. Note that over ripe bananas are ideally suited to being mashed.
2. Next select a large mixing bowl and combine all of the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Do make sure that you mix these ingredients thoroughly so that your mixture is an even blend. Once done set aside both bowl and mix.
3. combine the egg yolks, vanilla, melted butter and buttermilk and mashed banana and prepare smooth paste using your blender. Once again make sure that you mix these ingredients thoroughly.
4. Now add this mixture to Flour mixture,stirring all the while you do so. It is important that both mixtures are combined by gradually adding the flour mixture to the egg mixture and not vice versa.
5. Now beat egg whites and slowly add sugar and beat well.
6. Now gently fold in the the egg whites into the flour mixture, slowly incorporating the flour.
7. Continue stirring until the mixture is just blended. Take care not to over-mix the combined mixture.Rest the batter for 10 minutes.
8. Heat a large well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or favourite griddle over medium-high heat. Swirl the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet (or use oil to coat the griddle) and immediately pour in 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. When bubbles rise to the surface, flip the pancakes, slightly reduce the heat, and cook until the bottoms are golden and the centres are cooked, about 1 minute.
9. Now carefully turn pancakes over,cook for 1 more minute or until bottom is well browned.
10. Top with Caramelized Banana and serve with warm Caramel sauce 

 banana pancake,Caramelized Banana,Caramel sauce 

Variations:

Use honey, Maple syrup,butterscotch and fresh fruits of your choice  in place of the caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce

This is simple caramel sauce goes well with any kind of desserts,pancakes or even with your plain vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
• 3tbsp Butter
• 11/2 tbsp Corn flour/starch
• 1/4tsp Orange zest
• 3 - 4 tbsp Water

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare corn starch by mixing corn flour with little water to make smooth paste.
2. Place the sugar, water and corn paste in a pan and bring to a slow boil, keep stirring until it changes to light brown in colour.Take off heat.
3. Add cream and fold in.Place back on heat and mix thoroughly, add butter and zest and remove from heat immediately and stir.
4. Let stand for 10-15 mins.

Dry fruit stuffed Gulab Jamun

    

We Indians are fond of sweets. Many varieties of sweets are prepared, served and tasted all over India. Indian Festivals and marriage parties cannot be completed without sweet dishes. People in India serve and offer sweets as part and parcel of every celebration, Indian delicious sweets are famous all over the world for their variety. 

             India is a country of sweets, and Indians, if they can afford, would like to have sweets with almost every meal. Each region has its own specialties; even each Indian festival has its own traditional sweets. The Indian festival sweets have a charm of their own. Basically, various regional recipes are only different forms of rice puddings, milk puddings, vegetables & fruits dipped in sweet syrup. Besides, there are a variety of milk-based Barfis and pastries. These are decorated with raisins, almonds, pistachio and like,various combinations of all the above delicacies offer hundreds of varieties of our Indian sweets. 

                       i am here with one of the famous sweet of India specially prepared on the eve of  Diwali, "Gulab Jamun" rich ghee fried khoya balls stuffed with nuts and soaked in Sugar syrup.

Prep time: 40mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 60 mins
Yield: 12-15
Ingredients

• 250 gms Khoya/mava
• 3 tbsp Maida/All purpose flour
• 200 gms Sugar
• 1/2 litre Water
• 1/4tsp Cardamom powder
• 1 pinch Soda(Optional )
• For stuffing : Cashew nut,raisins and almonds( 2tbsp ,Crushed )

Cooking Directions

1. In a bowl add khoya and maida,mix both together to form a soft dough ,you can use your food processor for better result and keep a side.
2. Meanwhile Prepare sugar syrup with sugar and 1/2 litre water. Add little saffron to it.
3. Now start making jamuns. Knead the dough again and make about 12-15 medium sized balls from this mixture small marble sized balls and stuff each balls with dry fruits and nuts mixture .For making balls take sufficient dough and press between palms. Then rub the pressed dough in circular motion to get a smooth round shaped ball then start stuffing the jamuns.
4. Heat a pan and add oil to it. To test the right hotness of oil take a small piece of dough and put it into the oil. The dough first sits at the bottom of the pan and then slowly rises to the top�that is the right temperature at which we have to fry the Jamuns. If the dough rises fast from the bottom of the pan, it indicates the oil is overheated. You need to switch off the stove and wait for a while.
5. Take a slotted spoon and turn the oil to make whirls.
6. When they are dark golden brown in color remove from oil. Keep the Jamuns aside for 3 to 5 minutes before adding them to the warm syrup. Switch off the stove as the temperature of the oil will be more to fry the next round of Jamuns. After 5 minutes add the fried Jamuns to the warm syrup. Stir the cooked Jamuns in intervals.
7. Now again switch on the stove and make seven more balls. Test the heat of the oil before adding the powdered sugar coated Jamuns. Fry them as mentioned earlier.In this way you can fry 4-5 jamuns in each batch
8. Do not crowd the oil pan by adding more balls to the oil while frying. As the balls become double in size ensure free space for the balls to move around. Even if you are left with little dough for the last batch, do not add more balls to the oil. Fry the Jamuns and soak them in warm syrup for at least 1 hour before serving .

Pedvya upkari/ Kerala style spicy sardines

one of my favorite childhood memories are my mother's kerala style fish curries,cooked over the little cast iron chatti/kadai or in earthen pots .My most vivid memory of them was the time I was recovering from chicken fox ,hadn't eaten anything for 2 weeks, and was allowed for the first time to relish this spicy sardine dish along with Pej/kanji ( boiled rice with starch ). I can still smell them now. There was nothing I wanted more in the world at that moment than those red hot curried sardines.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients

• 1/2 kg Medium sized sardines
• 10 Red chillies
• 1tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1/4tsp Methi/ Fenugreek
• 1tsp Pepper corns
• 7-8 Garlic cloves
• 10-15 curry leaves
• 2 Marble sized ball of tamarind
• 1/4tsp Mustard
• 1tbsp Coconut oil
• 1/4tsp Turmeric powder

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and clean sardines,apply salt and turmeric powder and keep aside.
2. Roast Red chillies,coriander seeds and garlic in tsp of coconut oil,till it changes to light brown and transfer it to a plate.
3. In the same pan roast Pepper corns, methi and mustard till it crackles.
4. First grind roasted chillies ,coriander and garlic along with tamarind to smooth paste with 1 cup of water.
5. In that add roasted Pepper,methi and mustard and grind coarse paste adding 1/2 cup of water.
6. Heat remaining oil in a kadai,add ground masala and bring it to boil.
7. Now drop sardines,curry leaves and little salt ( do check the seasoning as we have used salt while marinating) and boil till the masala is dry .
8. Serve hot with Red boiled rice for extra punch

Jeere -meere kadi

Spices and herbs we use everyday have great medicinal value.So next time you have minor illnesses such as respiratory problems or if you want to give your immune system a boost during the cold season,reach for the spices in your kitchen cabinet.

              Today i am here with an authentic Konkani dish "Jeere - meere kadi" .Jeere means cumin and meere means pepper in konkani.This kadi is very beneficial especially in winter,when we easily infected by common cold,throat and chest infections,joint pains.So this kadi makes expulsion of phlegm easier as it contain cumin and pepper which is believed to be very good disinfectant that can kill thed common cold and virus.Cummin seeds,or jeera,being a rich source fo iron enhances the functioning of the immune system to fight against contagious diseases and pepper ,more than just a spice it has been shown to improve digestion and stimulate the secretion from the taste buds,a great way to combat digestive problems.Some times we develop conditions like,poor digestion ,heatburn or symtoms of indigetion,then this kadi really help maximise the function of the digestive system.

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 7-8 mins
Ingredients

• 2 cups Grated coconut
• 4-5 Red chilli
• 1 Tamarind (marble sized ball )
• 1 tsp Cumin/jeera
• 1/2 tsp Peppercorns
• 1 tbsp Coconut oil
• 8-10 Garlic cloves

Cooking Directions

1. Heat 2 tsp of oil in small pan,roast cumin and pepper till it cumin changes to light brown colour.
2. Now in the same oil roast red chillies till its crisp
3. Grind all the ingredients except garlic and salt to smooth paste using 2 cups of water.
4. Now adjust the consistency of the kadi by adding water if needed.
5. Add salt and bring to boil.Once done prepare garlic seasoning.
6. Heat remaining oil in a small pan,add crushed garlic with skin and roast till it becomes golden brown.
7. Add this to kadi and serve hot with rice.

Spicy Andhra style chicken roast

This is an easy to cook chicken roast which calls for very few common ingredients. This is one of our family favorites too, and I assure you that its finger licking good.. i got this from one of my old collection.

Ingredients

• 1kg Chicken ( cut into medium size pieces)
• 8-10 Red chilli (dry)
• 1 tsp Pepper corns
• 1/4tsp Turmeric powder
• 2( 1 inch pieces) Cinnamom
• 7-8 Cloves
• 1 Garlic ( big pod)
• 2tbsp Ghee/ oil
• 2 tsp Chopped ginger
• 2 Tomato
• 3 onion (sliced)
• 2spring Curry leaves/kari bevu
• 2tsp Lemon juice

Cooking Directions

1. Clean chicken, wash it in enough water,strain and keep aside.
2. Apply lemon juice, turmeric powder and salt to taste, let it stand until our marinade is ready.
3. Now grind red chillies , peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon,turmeric ,ginger,garlic and tomato to smooth paste.
4. Apply this marinade to chicken and let it stand for 1 hour.
5. Heat ghee in a pan and saute onion slices till golden brown.
6. Mix in marinated chicken and Curry leaves and cover and cook until the gravy thicken(overturn chicken when one side is done well).
8. Serve it with Chapatti/Nan or anything of your choice

Oats- coconut burfi

Last week schools announced 10 days holiday for Dusshera and my kids really enjoyed the festival and their winter camp with full enthusiasm without any worries.My daughter and I decided to make some home made burfis. We ended up making our own version of oat burfies inspired by the recipe we found in the "Quaker oats"cook book . As usual we had to get creative and make our version of the recipe. It took us a only 10 minutes . It was a very fun morning for both of us with all the spills and diwali cleaning as there are only 2 weeks left. Altogether it was fun filled holiday.

Ingredients

• 11/2 cups Quick cooking oats
• 1cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Dessicated coconut
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1tbsp Cocoa powder or bournvita powder
• 1tsp Vanilla essence

Cooking Directions

1. Add milk,butter,sugar and cocoa powder to heavy bottomed sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves completely and it the mixture becomes sticky.
3. At this stage add vanilla essence.stir it well and switch off the fire.
4. Immediately add desiccated coconut and oatmeal ,mix it well until it absorbs all the syrup
5. Transfer it to a greased plate or mould ,let it cool till it sets, then cut into desired shape and serve.

Zero oil thali ( cauliflower -peas kurma,stir fried cauliflower,snake gourd upkari ,peas parata and onion salad

1.Cauliflower-peas kurma

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cauliflower Florets
• 1 cup Peas- fresh or frozen )
• 2 Tomato (finely chopped )
• 2 Onion-( ground to paste)
• 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp Peanuts-( crushed)

Cooking Directions

1. Pressure cook,ground onion paste, chopped tomato,chilly powder,garam masala powder,ginger- garlic paste , turmeric powder and salt to taste.Take one whistle and let the cooker to cool completely before adding rest of the ingredients.
2. Now add both the vegetable and crushed peanuts ,add a cup of water and mix it well ,again take 1 -2 whistle and its ready to serve.

2.Stir fried cauliflower ( cauliflower upkari)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cauliflower Florets
• 1-2 Red chilli (cut into pieces)
• 1/2tsp Mustard

Cooking Directions

1. Heat Nonstick kadai/pan,add mustard and let it crackle,add chilly pieces and roast till it changes its colour.
2. Now add washed cauliflower florets and salt.Cover and cook on low flame till done .It will take only 7-10 mins to cook the florets and requires no water as Cauliflower florets containing 95% water.
3. Serve hot with rice and dal

3.Snake gourd upkari

Ingredients

• 2 cups snake gourd (sliced thin)
• 1-2 Green Or dry red chilly ( roughly chopped)
• 1/4tsp Mustard seeds
• 1tbsp Coconut (freshly grated)

Cooking Directions

1. Heat kadai, put mustard seeds and let it crackle.
2. Then add red or green chillies saute it till it turns light brown in color.
3. Add in snake gourd slices and salt to taste,cover and cook over low flame till done.
4. Garnish with grated coconut and serve hot with rice and dal.
5. When I cook it with slow heat I don't add water. When you mix it with salt, gourd pieces yields enough water to cook it.So i always cook my veggies in slow flame without adding any water.

4 Onion- curd raita

Ingredients

• 1/2cup curd
• 1 onion finely chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Mix onion,salt and curd ,serve chilled.
2. you can add chopped cucumber ,tomato and coriander to make little bit more interesting.

Ragi duddali/finger millet pudding

Ragi Duddali/pudding 

Ragi/ finger millet is a rich source of Calcium, Iron, Protein, Fiber and other minerals. The cereal has low fat content and contains mainly unsaturated fat. It is easy to digest and does not contain gluten; people who are sensitive to gluten can easily consume Finger Millet/Ragi is considered one of the most nutritious cereals. It has different names in local languages. It is known as Ragi in Telugu and Kannada, Kelvaragu/aariyam in Tamil, and Madua/Mangal in Hindi. Ragi is an extremely nutritious cereal and is very beneficial for maintaining a good health. 

                      Ragi could be enjoyed in different forms and preparations. Ragi Roti, Ragi Dosa,Ragi Porridge, Ragi Upma, Ragi Cakes, Ragi Biscuits are few popular dishes of Ragi. Few months back one of my friend prepared dish and i love her dish so much because it was easy and quick to make. whereas my mom used to prepare this by soaking whole Ragi and then she used to grind it, strain the liquid again, straining the milk from Ragi must be done 2-3 times until the milk goes very light ....my god it was a such a long process but when i gone through her recipe i was really amazed and yesterday thought of trying this pudding as my kids wanted to have something sweet so tried this Healthy, filling and yummy, pudding .

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15-20 mins
Ingredients

• 1cup Ragi flour
• 3cups Full cream milk
• 3cups Water
• 11/2cup Sugar
• 1/4ts Cardamom powder

Cooking Directions

1. Mix ragi flour,water and milk,make a smooth batter.
2. Now transfer this mixture to a heavy bottomed kadai or pan.
3. Cook the mixture over a low flame,Stirring briskly and continuously till the mixture becomes thick and dark in colour,add cardamom powder,mix it well.
4. Remove from the flame and transfer onto a greased mould or plate.
5. When cool cut into bits.

Konkani style Urad-rava dosa

 

Here's a simple, crispy rava/semolina dosa recipe that can be made instantly.This dosa tastes almost like medu vada,no need of fermenting the batter,just grind the soaked black gram dal and prepare this crispy dosa just like any other dosa

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: Approximately 2 mins for each dosa
Ingredients

• 21/2cups Bombay Rava/semolina
• 3/4 cup Urad dal
• 2 Chopped green chillies
• 1tbsp Chopped fresh coconut pieces
• 1tsp Hing/asafoetida
• 1tbsp Chopped curry leaves

Cooking Directions

1. Soak Urad dal overnight or at least 4-5 hours.
2. Next day morning grind it to smooth paste.
3. Now mix in rava/semolina little at a time to avoid any lumps.Mix it well to make a smooth thick batter using water as required( batter should be thick like idli batter)
4. Add all the remaining ingredients and let the batter stand for 30 minutes.
5. Heat a griddle and pour a ladle full of the batter and lightly spread it to make a 6-7" round pancakes and pour a spoonful of ghee or oil and cover it for a minute.
6. When the one side is cooked add 1/2 a tsp of oil and turn over and cook on a medium flame till crisp and golden
7. serve hot with ginger or Asafoetida chutney.

Tip: you can use fermented urad dal batter but this fresh batter tastes just like our medu vada.So my mom calls it ambado(medu vada) pitta polo

Healthy and delicious Oatmeal-choco smoothie

Smoothies have the added convenience of one-handed drinking--no spoon required,Carry them in a thermos or thermal beverage cup, and they'll stay chilled for hours. They're easy, can be stored in the fridge for several days; and they can be frozen . Oatmeal smoothies are also very filling; have one for breakfast and they will help you fight the hungries all morning.

Prep time: 5-6 mins
Cook time: 0
Yield: 4 cups
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Instant oat meal
• 2tbsp Coco powder
• 2cups Skimmed Milk
• 1 cup Yogurt
• 1/2tsp Cinnamom powder
• 1/2cup chopped banana

Cooking Directions

• Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth .It only takes a few seconds. The finer your grind them, the smoother your smoothie will be.There is a lot of hidden nutrition that is masked by the sweet flavor of fruit.You can have it anytime of the day.

Mosaru vade/ tayyir vade

South indian style dahi vada/mosaru vade/tayyir vade

Medu vada is a traditional favourite of south indians.It is almost like dahi balle but we do not add any chat masala or any kind of chutney ,it is indispensable part of the menu on festivals and puja days. Now it is  served along with lunch in any functions and marriages.I love the combination of this cool dahi vada which complements well with a full fledged spicy meal and it can be even served as an appetizer .When I generally make vada's for breakfast I prepare one extra batch to make dahi vada's which are generally savored without dahi,plain with ginger chutney.This will be a wonderful food in summer's as we do not like eating hot and spicy food in that hot weather.Even though it is deep fried,as it is soaked in dahi it will be a perfect soothing snack on those hot days.

Ingredients

• 2cups urad dal
• 1/2 litre Curd
• 1 + 1 tsp Chopped ginger
• 2+1 springs curry leaves
• 1/2tsp Asafoetida /Hing
• 3+3 Green chillies chopped
• 2-3 tsp chopped coconut pieces
• 4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and soak black gram seeds and rice in water for 3-4 hours.
2. Grind them smooth paste by just using 1/2 -3/4 cups of water( do not use too much of water,otherwise the vadas will become soggy and oily )
3. Now add chopped green chillies, coconut pieces, 2 spring roughly chopped curry leaves,asafoetida and salt to taste.Mix it well and keep it aside.
4. Meanwhile prepare curd masala.lightly crush green chillies and ginger using a tbsp of water and strain it and discard the residue
5. Beat yogurt and add sugar, ginger - chilli water and salt to it.
6. Now prepare tadka with oil, mustard seeds and remaining curry leaves and pour it over the curd.If the curd is too thick add some water,this helps in softening vada and helping it to absorb curd masala.
7. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai on medium heat and mean while grease your left palm(or wet your hands) and place little vada mixture and flatten it and make a hole in it and slowly transfer to the right hand and slip it to the hot oil carefully.(You can do this with right hand if you are expertized in it or you can even try patting it on a greased banana leaf or greased plastic sheet).
8. Repeat the same process for the remaining mixture.Drop 4-5 at a time,do not drop in more or else they will stick to each other.
9. Let them fry on medium flame until crisp and golden brown in color on both sides and drop them into the curd mixture and let it soak in it for 10 -15 mins .

Raw plantain cutlets

Plantains are available all year round.I love trying different dishes of these lovely plantains.On the occasion of Navratri i am here with one interesting plantain dish specially for those who avoid onion and garlic,specially during 9 days of durga puja Actually i prepared this with my leftover filling of stuffed capscicum which is one more special dish without onion and garlic.These cutlets turned out to be so delicious.

Prep time: 20-25 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 40-45 Mins
Yield: 15
Ingredients

• 4 Raw plantain /banana
• 1tbsp Corn flour
• 2tsp Maida/all
• 1tsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 finely chopped green chillies
• 1tsp chilly powder
• 1/2tsp Roasted cumin /jeera seeds
• 1tsp Curry or garam masala powder
• 1tbsp Chopped coriander leaves
• 1tbsp Roasted and crushed ground nuts
• 1/4tsp Asafoetida powder

Cooking Directions

1. Cook the plantains in boiling water for 20 mins on medium flame or till it is soft but not mushy.
2. Peel them and mash them into a smooth mixture while they are still warm.
3. In a pan, heat some oil. Then add cumin seeds, asafoetida/hing and chopped ginger and green chilly ,stir it well.
4. Add some chilly powder and curry powder,mix it well.
5. Now add the mashed plantain,salt and coriander leaves and mix it well in the masala.Cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Turn off the stove and add Roasted and crushed ground nuts and coriander leaves and mix well.
7. Let the mixture cool and shape them into desired shape. Roll the cutlets in corn flour-maida mixture and shallow fry them on a skillet. Fry both sides till they turn golden brown in color.
8. Serve hot with chutney or sauce

Thrimadhuram...

Thrimadhuram ... a special prasadam offered to goddess laxmi

As far as I know, "thrimadhuram" is a "prasada"offering made to God and then distributed to devotees in some temples in south india.Today one of my friend told me exactly what all goes into this.In Thrimadura banana is used as the base and the other 3 ingredients are honey,cardamom and ghee combination that i have prepared today for nivedhya.But,there are other combination also like honey,milk and raisins or jaggery,milk and ghee.

Thrimadhuram is usually a dryish mixture of banana pieces ( of the "Kadali" variety), honey and ghee .Thrimadhuram signifies three from "thri" and sweet from "madhuram". 

Prep time: 5-6 mins

Cook time: 0
Total time: 5-6 mins
Ingredients

• 2 Banana ( kadali/elakki bale hannu)
• 2-3 tsp Honey
• 1tsp Ghee
• 1/4tsp of cardamom powder (optional )

Cooking Directions

1. Slice 2 kadali ( small yellow variety)
2. Take one bowl and combine all the ingredients and serve 

This was my 1st day nivedhyam to goddess durga..thanks to my friend Nisha Baliga for this divine easy to make traditional prasadam.