Chana dal vada : A crunchy snack for soggy weather

Happy Indian Republic Day!

Saare jahan se achcha Hindusitan hamara.......

Chana dal vada is a perfect snack for rainy, soggy weather. Enjoy these crunchy fritters with the chutney of your choice and a hot cup of tea.

Ingredients:
Approx. 6 servings

• Yellow chana dal  - 2 cups
• Onion - 1/2 cup finely chopped
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp
• Green chilies - 2 finely chopped
• Fresh cilantro leaves - 2 tbsp finely chopped
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt as per taste
• Vegetable oil for frying

Method:

1. Soak chana dal 4-5 hours in plenty of water.
2. Drain the water. Keep 1/4 cup soaked dal aside. Grind remaining dal without adding water.
3. In a large bowl, add the above dals, onions, ginger-garlic paste, cilantro leaves, green chilies, cumin seeds and salt. Mix well.
4. Heat oil in a pan for frying vadas.
5. Take 1 tbsp of the above batter in the palm of your hand, flatten them a bit and carefully fry them in medium hot oil till they turn golden brown in color.
6. Drain vadas on the kitchen towel.

Enjoy these garma garam vadas with the chutneys of your choice.

Pongal [Southern Indian Rice Meal]

  

Pongal [Southern Indian Rice Meal]

Ingredients:[For approx 4 servings]

Rice - 2 cups

Moong dal - 1 cup
Jeera - 2 tsp

Cashews(broken) - 1/2cup

Whole dry red chillies - 6

Whole peppercorns - 10-12

Curry leaves - 5-6 leaves

Garlic - 4 cloves

Chana dal - 1 tsp

Urad dal -1 tsp

Hing [Asafoetida powder] - 2 pinch

Butter - 2 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Method

• Soak rice and moong dal  in water for an hour.
• Cook rice and dal with salt, turmeric powder and butter/ghee in a heavy bottom pot in 3 cups of water.
• In a pan, heat 2 tbsp butter.Add Jeera, chana dal, urad dal, hing powder, minced garlic, a few peppercorns and cashews. When it splatters, add curry leaves and dry red chillies.
• Add this prepared seasoning to the cooked rice mixture.

Serve hot for light lunch or dinner.

Healthy Vegetable Idli (Veggie Rice cakes)

Healthy Vegetable Idli (Veggie Rice cakes)
Idli is one of the healthiest southern Indian breakfasts. Plain Idli is great but with vegetables it is awesome. It can be served as a breakfast, evening snack or as a meal with sambhar and chutney. Idli is soft and easy to eat so kids love it too.

Ingredients: For Vegetable Idli (4 servings)
Idli batter – 4 cups
Vegetables – Carrot, cabbage, green beans [shredded] -1.5 cups
Tomato- 1 thinly sliced [Round]
Cashews – ½ cups
Cilantro leaves – ½ cup leaves
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Green chilies – 2
Curry leaves – 5-6
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Prepare Idli batter as usual or buy it from any Indian grocery store.
• In a pan, heat cooking oil and add mustard seeds. When it starts splattering, add green chilies, curry leaves and vegetables. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Do not cook the vegetables completely as they will be cooked later with the idli batter.
• Add salt to the vegetables and cool it for few minutes.
• Add the vegetables to the Idli batter and mix well.
• For making Idlies, grease the Idli molds and arrange tomato slices in some of the molds, or cilantro leaves or cashews. Now pour the idli batter in each mold and steam it.
• Once the Idlies are cooked, keep the molds aside for few minutes to cool down and then gently take the idlies off the mold and flip them. Arrange the vegetable side up in the serving plate.

Serving Suggestions:
Enjoy warm Idlis with green cilantro chutney or coconut chutney and sambhar.

Lemon Rice [Southern Indian style]

Last few days, Aunt V is visiting us. She is a great cook. I learned this and few other recipes from her. Lemon rice is very flavorful and very easy to make. Lemon rice is great for picnics or as a journey meal. I would like to share this simple yet authentic recipe with you all.

Ingredients:
For Lemon rice [4 servings]
Rice (Basmati) – 4 cups [Cooked] left over is even better
Cashews – ½ cup (halved) [Optional]
Raw peanuts – ½ cup (halved) [Optional]
Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
Lemon/ Lime juice – 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
Cooking oil for tempering -1.5 tbsp
Dry red chilies [torn into halves] – 4
Mustard seeds [Rai] – 1 tsp
Chana dal – 1 tbsp
Urad dal [white]-1 tbsp
Hing [asafoetida] – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 6
Cilantro fresh – 1 tbsp [finely chopped] for garnishing (optional)

Method:

• Wash and cook basmati rice as usual. i.e. Cook 1.5 cup raw rice with 3 cups of water. Let the rice cool completely or let it sit in the refrigerator for couple of hours after cooking. This recipe is good for using leftover white rice too.
• Heat oil in a pan and add peanuts or cashews. Fry for couple of minutes. Drain the nuts and keep aside. 
• In the same pan add all the tempering ingredients, Mustard seeds, red chilies, chana dal, urad dal, hing, and curry leaves. Fry till it all crackles. Add turmeric powder and the fried nuts, mix well.
• Add the above tempering to the cooked rice. Add Lemon or lime juice to the rice and mix again.

Garnish:
Garnish the prepared rice with freshly chopped cilantro. Enjoy with any meal, anytime of the day.

Onion-Green Chilli Uttapam

Uttapam is one of the great tasting South Indian snack or breakfast. It has many different versions but Onion-Green Chili is one of my all time favorite. Instead of onion-chili, you can add any fresh vegetable of your choice .


Ingredients:
For Onion-Green Chili Uttapam [6 uttapams approx.]
Idli / Dosa Batter – 2 cups [ Ihave used Idli batter ]
Sweet Onions – 1 cup finely chopped
Green Chilies - 3-4 chopped
Cilantro -1/3 cup chopped
Cooking oil for shallow frying
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Heat griddle or tawa. Take one ladle of Idli batter and pour in the middle of the griddle.
• Spread the batter as pancake and add one teaspoon of oil along the edges.
• On the top spread chopped onions, green chillies and chopped cilantro evenly. Let it cook on the medium flame for a minute and then  cover the uttapam with a lid. Cook for another 2 minutes.

• Remove the lid and add few drops of oil on top of onion and chillies.
• Gently flip the uttapam to the other side and cook for couple of minutes.
• Uttapam is ready when it is golden brown in color.

Serve hot with  green/coconut chutney and sambhar.

Medu Vada

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a big fan of South Indian snacks. Medu vada is one of those. It is easy to make you can serve it as a meal with sambhar and chutney or just anytime snack only with chutney.It’s a kid’s friendly snack.

Ingredients:
For Medu vada (4 servings)

Urad dal - 1.5 cups

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

Freshly ground black pepper - 1tsp

Green chilies - 2

Curry leaves -8

Cooking oil to fry

Salt as per taste

Method:

• Wash Urad dal thoroughly and soak it in water for 6-7 hours.
• Grind soaked dal with green chilies in fine paste using very little water. Add asafoetida powder, cumin seeds, black pepper and salt to the paste.
• Mix the batter for few minutes. It will incorporate some air to the batter and make it light.
• Heat cooking oil for frying the vadas.
• Apply some oil to your palm and take some batter on it. Shape it round and make a hole in the center with your finger. It takes some practice to make the shape.
• Deep fry the doughnut shaped vadas in oil. It should be golden and crispy.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve hot with green chutney or coconut chutney for snack and with sambhar/chutney for meal.