Javarisi Vathal/ Sabudhana Fries/ Sago Fryiums

Summer holidays back home always used to be a huge fun with this activity in each household. Doing this brought me a back a lot of reminiscence of my childhood summer days. We were asked to guard the terrace from crows and squirrels who would nibble off the vathal. But no one could save it from us kids nibbling it.

Let us see how it is made.
Things we need

• Sabhudana/ Javarisi/ sago = 1/2 kg
• Green chilles - 12 (as needed)
• Asafoetida
• Salt
• Lemon
• Plastic sheets/ big white cotton cloth
• Lots of sun

Soak the Sabhudana overnight. The next day pressure cook in (in cooker) with 2 times of water.

Then once its cooked, check the consistency. It should be like a coarse dosa batter. If its thick you can add water. Be watchful about not adding too much water. Add salt, well ground green chillies and lemon juice. 

On a clean piece of cloth/ plastic, take a ladle full of the batter and pour it on the sheet and flatten it. 

Allow it to sun dry for a day or two. Once it is dry, it stands out usually. 

It is so yummy to taste the batter and a half dried vathal.

Once they are completely dry, fry them in oil. A very unstoppable snack with soup or any South Indian rice dishes.

Murukku/Chakkili

This is a very popular snack of south India. It can be made quite easily.

Things we need


Rice Flour - 1 cup
Urad flour - 1/4 cup ( Roast the urad dal and grind them to a fine powder.)
Unsalted Butter - 2 tbs
Hing - a Pinch
Sesame seeds 1 tbs
Warm Water - 2 cups (to knead the dough)
Salt
Red Chili powder - 2 tbs
Curry leaves
Oil to fry

In a mixing bowl, melt the butter, add salt, hing, sesame seeds, red chili powder and mix well. Then add the the rice flour and the urad dal flour. Add warm water and knead in into a dough like the one prepared for chapatti.In a wok, heat the oil. Take a small amount of the dough into the murukku maker and when the oil is hot you can just make small rounds on the oil carefully. Or you can just do it on the spatula and then add it t the oil. Fry until golden brown. Once all the murukkus are done, fry the curry leaves and add in the box where murukkus are stored. Allow it to cool and store in an air tight container.

Do not close the box immediately after making the murukkus, as they would sweat and not be crispy.

Veggie Pot Pie

Things we need
Pie crust - Store bought
Vegetable broth Pacific Natural Foods (can be homemade too) - 2 cups
Potatoes - 2 cubed/ julienned 
Carrots- 2 cubed
Green peas,Corn Fennels, Green beans, Zucchini, Broccoli - 4 cups 
Onions - 1/2 chopped
Butter - 2 spoons
Salt
Pepper
Grated cheese


Preheat the oven to 400 C .

Thaw the pie crust as per the package instructions. Place one sheet on a pie plate and make tiny holes with a fork. Bake it for 10 mins. 


Meanwhile, In a sauce pan, add butter and saute the onions and potatoes until golden brown. Then add the veggies, salt and pepper. Add the broth to this and allow the veggies to cook well.


On the pie crust laid on the plate, layer with half of the cheese. Now spoon in the cooked veggie mix.  Add the rest of the cheese on top and cover it with the other pie shell. Seal the pie crust and make small slits on top for the steam to escape. With an aluminum foil. cover the edges so that they don't get burnt. 

After 20 mins take out the aluminum foil.  Bake it for around 45 mins or till the pie is golden brown. 

Enjoy the Pie.....

Paani Puri/ Gol Gappa/ Puchka

Chaat is the ultimate snack in India. Every alley has a guy selling us that. It tastes different in different parts of India.
So here is my version of it. I got the puris at the desi grocery store. But one can make these too.
The green paani we make is spicy and its for the katta taste. The sweet chutney is made for the hint of sweetness

Things we need
Puris - Bought at the desi grocery store.

For the paani
Mint - 1 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves- 1 cup
Green chillies - 7
Coriander powder - 1 spoon
Roasted Cumin powder - 1 1/2 spoon
Tamarind paste - 4 spoons
Ginger - 1 small piece
Black pepper - 1/2 spoon
Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup
Paani puri Masala
Black salt - to taste
Salt

Grind all these together well and in a big bowl, add water to it. Be mindful not to add more it might dilute the taste. Add a little boondi to it.

Tamarind Chutney

Tamarind Paste - 3 tbs  (or extract the same from raw tamarind)
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cube or nearly 3/4 cup grated
Red chilli powder
Roasted cumin powder - 2 spoons
Roasted Fennel powder - 1 spoon
Black Salt
A little grated ginger

Take the tamarind paste in a bowl with 3/4 cup water, add the jaggery and allow it to melt. Then add the chilli, cumin, fennel powder, black salt, ginger. Allow it to boil well till it thickens.

For the stuffing
Potatoes - 2 boiled and mashed
Garbanzo beans or Whole green gram - soaked over night and pressure cooked
Onions - sliced well
Red chilli powder
Chaat masala
Salt

Mash all these ingredients together to make the stuffing.

Now break a bit of the poori, stuff it with the potato mixture, add a little sweet sauce to it. Then dip it in the green paani and directly to your mouth.
This should be consumed immediately after making it.
Enjoy hogging it....No one can eat just one....

Bhel Puri Chaat

This is an easy wonderful snack. If the chutneys are made, the other items are easy to gather.

Things we need

The chutneys we are making for this can be refrigerated or frozen.

Green Chutney
Mint   1 cup
Green Chilli  2
Black pepper corns - 3 or 4
Onion 1/2
Tomato 1/2
Ginger - small piece
Lemon Juice - 1/2 lemons'
Salt
Chaat Masala - to taste
Coriander leaves (Optional)
Sugar - 2 pinches

Grind all these together to a paste.

Tamarind Chutney


Tamarind Paste - 3 tbs  (or extract the same from raw tamarind)
Jaggery - 1 1/2 cube or nearly 3/4 cup grated
Red chilli powder
Roasted cumin powder - 2 spoons
Roasted Fennel powder - 1 spoon
Black Salt
A little grated ginger

Take the tamarind paste in a bowl with 3/4 cup water, add the jaggery and allow it to melt. Then add the chilli, cumin, fennel powder, black salt, ginger. Allow it to boil well till it thickens.

This chutney goes well with samosas, cutlets, pakodas, parathas, vada pav, Sandwiches, any chaat items like dahi puri, papdi chaat, Dahi vada.

The quantity Given below serves 2 to 3 people. One can alter the quantity according to taste.

Puffed rice - 2 cups
Thin sev - 1/2 cup
Crushed Puri or papdi chaat - a little
Chopped Boiled potatoes 1/4 cup
Chopped Cucumber 1/4 cup
Seeded & Chopped tomatoes 1/4 cup
Pre soaked & pressure cooked chickpeas 1/4 cup
Chopped raw mango - a little
Lemon Juice
Chopped Coriander leaves

Roast the puffed rice to make sure they are crispy. Mix all the above ingredients. Add a spoon each of the chutneys. And mix well. Serve immediately else it would become soggy.
You can try out any other veggies too.

Enjoy.

Rasam vadai, Bonda Soup

This is one of my granny's recipes...A very traditional one.

Things we need

For Vada
Urad dal  - 1 1/2
Pepper
Oil to fry
Salt


For Rasam
Moong dal 1/2 cup
Urad Dal - 1 Spoon
Pepper - 10/15 corns
Asafoetida - a pinch
Cumin seeds - 1 spoon
Red chillies - 3
Salt
Tamarind paste - 3 1/2 spoons
Mustard seeds
Curry Leaves.

Vada
This recipe is meant for 4 people. You can alter according to your needs.
Soak 1 1/2 cups of urad dal  for 2 hrs. Then grind it with pepper & salt. I use an Indian mixer. So I just sprinkle water on & off while grinding in order to get a thick batter. I keep the batter in the fridge for an hour so that the batter thickens up a bit more.


Make it into flat vadas & Fry them. If this doesn't work, just make tiny balls & fry them.  (I was unable to make them into flat vada shaped ones, so i made small balls & they taste great too) . Keep them on a tissue paper to have the oil absorbed.

 Rasam
 Pressure cook the moong dal with water for 4 whistles. once done, mash the dal well & make it a little watery & set it aside.

With a little oil, roast the pepper corns, urad dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, red chillies. Then grind them to a paste.
In a vessel take the tamarind paste add water & salt to it & allow it to boil. Then add the above masala to it & bring it to a boil till it froths. then add the dal water & allow it to boil. For the seasoning, in a kadai, take a little oil, add mustard seeds, little cumin seeds & curry leaves & add it to the rasam.

Rasam is done. Add the vadas to the rasam & allow it to soak for an hour. Well rasam vada is done.
The flavor of pepper should be on the higher side, as it gives taste to the rasam & the vada.
Pepper is very good for health & if you have noticed, for this rasam  we haven;t used toor dal. So its totally a different taste to experiment on.

Bon apétit!

Ompodi – Chickpea sev

Things we need
Besan (Chickpea flour) 1 ½ cup
Rice flour ½ cup
2 spoond of ghee or butter
Omam (Ajwain) 2 spoons
Chilli powder
Asafoetida Hing
Salt
Curry Leaves
Oil to fry

Method
Soak the Ajwain in water for half an hour. Then grind it well & extract the juice off it.


In a convenient bowl, add ghee/ butter, salt, chilli powder, asafetida & mix them well. Then add both the flours& mix. The butter should be equally distributed on the flour. Then add the ajwain Juice & add water as & when necessary to knead it into dough. The dough's consistency should be very soft. It will be sticky.


Take the murukku maker & fit it with the ompodi plate. It has the smallest holes. Grease it a bit with oil. If the dough is too tight, it won't go through the holes. So make it accordingly. Fill the murukku maker with the dough.


In a kadai, take oil. When the oil is hot enough, press the murukku maker in a circle which will disperse the dough well into the oil.


Once they are done turn over the ompodi. Once they r a little brown, take them out & let the oil drain out on a tissue.


These become crispy & yummy.Once you are done with making all of them, fry some curry leaves & put it in the box where you store it. It adds to the flavour. A nice snack that one can seel with any age group. Its much easier too.

Bendi Microwave Fry

This Recipe was suggested by one of my friends Gowri. This one is pretty easy, really tasty & healthy.

Things you need:

Okra - Fresh ones (not Frozen)
Salt
Chilli Powder
Pam olive Oil Spray / Any oil
Microwaveable plate.

Cut the okra lengthwise as shown in the pic & lay them on a plate. Spray a little oil on them & sprinkle Salt, chilli powder.


Keep it in the microwave for 5 mins, then just mix them up a bit & keep it for 2 more mins. That is all. Crispy Bendi Fry is ready to eat. They r crispy without frying them in Oil, thats the best part.



It is very good with Rasam Rice

Aama Vadai/ Masala Vadai/ Cabbage vadai/ Paruppu Vadai

This Recipe is a mix match from a lot of sources. But the main ratios are from Meenakshi Amma's Samithu Paar, the legendary cook book.

Things Needed:

Toor dal : 1 cup

Channa Dal : 1/2 cup

Urad Dal : 1/2 cup

Green Chillies

Red chillies

Ginger

Mint leaves a small bunch

Corriander leaves

Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

Hing or Asafoetida

Cabbage : Well cut

Onions : Well cut

Saunf/ fennel seeds a little

Oil to fry

Preparation

Soak the Channa Dal Separately. Soak the urad & the Toor Dal together for about 2 hrs. Take the chillies, salt, hing, ginger & grind them 1st. Then add the Toor dal & the Urad dal & grind them very roughly. To this jus add the mint, corriander & the Channa dal & grind them coarsly. Add the saunf. Do not add much water. It shud be thick in consistency

Mix the batter well & add the curry leaves, cabbage & also the onions.

In a kadai, take oil, all it get hot. Then make a small inner palm sized flat vadas & fry it in the oil.

Yummy vadais are ready..