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.

Cocunut channa dal Chutnney / Coconut and lentil dipping sauce

I got this recipe from Mom. I ran out of roasted channa dal (pottu kadalai - tamil)
So this can be done very easily and it tastes really good.

Things needed

• Coconut  - 1 cup grated
• Green chilles - 2
• Channa dal - 3 to 4 spoons
• Asafoetida
• Salt
• Oil
• Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves

Soak the channa dal for 10 mins. Then in half spoon  oil, jus fry them little bit. Then grind them along with coconut, green chillies and salt.

For seasoning, fry mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.

This is very amazong with roasted hot dosa, idlis.

Aloo Shimla/ Potato Green Pepper Stir Fry

A post after a long Sabbatical. I never got a chance to cook, so I waited till I could to post something.
This is a my Sri's (my DH) all time favorite. He loves the crunchy green peppers. He took me to a very local pubjabi dhaba in Bangalore where he had once tasted this dish. He wanted a similar replica of the same. So here goes my trial and its quite easy.

Things we need

Potatoes - 4 medium ones
Green Pepper/ Capsicum (any colored) -  2
Onions - 2
Cumin Seeds - a spoon
Coriander seeds - coarsely ground
Ginger paste - a little
Turmeric - 1/2 spoon
Aamchur (Dry Mango powder) - 1 spoon
Chilli Powder- 1 spoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 spoon
Sugar - to sprinkle
Coriander leaves- finely chopped to garnish
Salt
Oil - 2 tbs

Julienne the vegetables.(Cut the veggies vertically into not so thin size). Have the potatoes in a bowl with water to prevent them from getting black due to oxidation. In a wide pan, heat oil, add cumin seeds, when it sputters add onions, ginger paste, potatoes and stir fry for 5 mins. then add turmeric powder, chili powder salt. Cover and allow it to cook. Now add, garam masala, aamchur powder, sugar, stir well, Once the potatoes are done,  add the green pepper. I love them crisp, hence I take it off the stove immediately. Garnish with coriander leaves.
A little raw taste of the green pepper is very delectable.

Its wonderful with chapatti or parathas or as a side dish with rice.

Kurryamadhu Podi /Poriyal Powder/ Vegetable flavoring / Subzi powder

This powder is very handy. Trust me, it boosts up the taste and kinda of use it for all powder.

Things we need

Channa Dal - 3 tbs
Corriander seeds - 2 tbs
Red Chillies - 8
Asafoetida

Dry roast all these and grind them coarsely.

 To make any curry, heat up a wok/kadai, add oil, mustard seeds, once its sputters, add the veggie (Brinjal, Raw banana (vazaikai), potato, Colocasia (sezpan kizangu), etc. Add salt and turmeric powder to this. Allow the veggie to cook. When its almost cooked, add this powder cover and cook for a couple more minutes.
Its done. Podi thuviya Kurryamadhu .

When we are making Pulippu kootu or even sambar, just mix 2 spoons of this powder to the cooked dal and allow it to boil.  It compliments to the taste.

A must have podi in the kitchen for me

Pori Urundai

Things we need
Puffed rice- 4 cups
Jaggery - 1 cup
Cardamom Powder
Dry ginger powder - a little
Rice flour to make balls

Dissolve the jaggery in 1/2 glass of water and allow it to boil. After 2 mins, when the jaggery is dissolved, drain it into another vessel till the residue is left in the Kadai. wash them off. Most of the jeggery we buy contains some sediments of mud.

Add cardamon powder and dry ginger powder and boil it till we get the right consistency. For that, have a small cup of water beside. Once the jaggery syrup to the water. The jaggery will sink like a stone and not dissolve. And if you are able to make a small ball with it, its done.
Now add the jaggery syrup to the puffed rice, when its warm make small balls out of it with the help of rice flour and little ghee.

Store in an air tight container.

Enjoy!

Manoharam / Sweetish crunchy Jaggery snack

I am blogging after quite a break. Well busy cooking ;-) and lazy to sit and pen down. So no excuses. It was fun cooking. I was revisiting some of  my recipes and relishing them. So I promise there are more interesting and unique recipes to come. I've done them all and clicked away pics and I should post them soon.

This is a sweet dish I did during the Karthigai. Way back in November. It came out very yummy. I ate this recently at grandsweets Chennai. I was always enchanted by this sweet and that pushed me to try this out.
This dish is sweet and crunchy
Here goes the recipe

Things we need

Rice - 5 cups
Urad dal - 1 cup
Salt - very little
Butter - 4 spoons (solid state)
Oil - for deep frying
Jeera - a little

Jaggery
Cardamom
Dry Ginger powder - 1 spoon
Rice flour - 2 spoons

The achu or the Murukku maker.

Wash and drain both of these, strain, drain, and dry them. Have them ground into a powder from the "machine " (as it is called in India)
Else just take rice flour and urad dal flour in the same proportion.
Sieve them well.

Now in a big bowl, take butter, add salt, jeera, whisk them well. Don not add too much salt, remember it is a sweet dish. In one part of the bowl, mix and make dough with water. I am prescribing this method as it would prevent browing of the murukku. If we knead the whole flour into dough, the last murukkus will come out in very dark color.

Now, Press them into the Achu or the murukku maker. Use this mould plate.

Then deep fry them. This is called Thenkozhal. Keep it in a dry container and allow it to cool. Break them into pieces.

Now the manoharam part.
Measure the thenkuzal in cups. For every cup of Thenkuzal take 3/4 th of a cup of Jaggery.

How to make the paagu
Melt the jaggery in a thick bottom vessel. When its dissolved drain the jaggery in another bowl to get rid of the sediments at the bottom. Now allow it to boil and thicken to form the paagu.  To test this. Add a drop of the jaggery in a bowl of water. it should be a thick ball that sinks at the bottom of the vessel and not dissolve. Thats the consisteny we need to attain for Paagu.

Now add the paagu to the broken Thenkozhal.and mix until all of it is covered with the jaggery.When it is okie for you to touch, make it into small balls and store. If not just leave it at just the mix. Its yummy.

Kadalai Urundai/ Mallatai Urundai/ Peanut balls

Things we need
Peanuts - 1/4 kg
Jaggery - 200 gm
Cardamom Powder
Dry ginger powder - a little
Water to make balls

Dry roast the groundnut and remove the skin and slightly crush it so that it will break into two halves. (You can also use readily available roasted peanuts). Allow it to cool down.


Dissolve the jaggery in 1/2 glass of water and allow it to boil. After 2 mins, when the jaggery is dissolved, drain it into another vessel till the residue is left in the Kadai. wash them off.  Most of the jeggery we buy contains some sediments of mud. 

Now boil it till we get the right consistency. For that, have a small cup of water beside. Once the jaggery syrup to the water. The jaggery will sink like a stone and not dissolve. And if you are able to make a small ball with it, its  done.

Add the syrup to the roasted peanuts. Mix well. Have a little water  and beside. Make small balls with it.

That is all. Peanut balls are done.