Kunuku

Kunuku is an evening snack made using adai mavu. White rava is added to the adai mavu to make the fritter crispier. I usually make this kunuku when lot of adai mavu is leftover in the fridge and bored of making adai. Good snack for surprise visitors as they take less time to prepare. And also you will get 20 to 25 kunuku from 2 cups of adai mavu.

 

 

Ingredients:

Adai mavu / adai batter – 2 cups
Onion – 1big
Green chilli – 2 big
Chopped curry leaves – 1tbsp
Chopped coriander – 1tbsp
Rava / suji (white) – 2tbsp
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

Method:

Add the chopped onion, green chilli, coriander leaves, curry leaves, salt, rava, to the adai mavu and mix well. Now the kunuku mavu is ready. Keep aside for 10min.
Heat oil in a wok. When the oil is ready to fry, make small balls of the kunuku mavu and place them slowly in the oil. 5 to 6 at a time is best.
Fry them like vada both sides and remove from the oil.
Place them in a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Sri Rama Navami Special (Panakam, Neer more, Vadaparuppu)

Panakam:

Panakam is a traditional drink specially made during “Sri Rama Navami” the birthday of Lord Rama. It cools the body and helps to beat the summer heat. Ginger helps in digestion, jaggery is a good source of iron. Totally it’s a health drink made of simple ingredients easily available at home.

Ingredients:

Jaggery – 1 cup
Water – 6 to 7 cups
Cardamom powder – ¼tsp
Crushed ginger – 1tsp
Lemon juice – 1tsp

Method:

Take 1cup water in a wide bowl. Add the jaggery to the water and mash them well till they get dissolve in water completely.
Now strain the jaggery water into a bowl, using a strainer. (this is to remove dust in jaggery)
Pour the remaining water to the bowl. Add cardamom powder, ginger and lemon juice.
Stir well using a ladle.
Panakam is ready to serve.

Note: You can also add sukku (dried ginger) to panakam which will make the drink more tasty and healthy.

Neer more:

Neer more is a very common summer drink which is also made on “Sri Rama Navami” as neivedyam (offering). Adding more water to butter milk is Neer (water) more (buttermilk). Like panakam neer more also have many health benefits, especially during summer they help to reduce the body heat. For more taste, finely chopped green mango is added to this neer more.

Ingredients:

Beaten curd – 2cups
Water – 7 to 8 cups
Green chilli – 1
Shredded ginger – 1tsp
Hing – ½tsp
Mustard seeds – ½tsp
Lemon juice – 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 1tsp
Finely chopped coriander – 1tbsp

Method:

Take the beaten curd in a wide bowl and keep aside.
In a small kadai or in tempering pan heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter add green chilli and ginger, pour them to the curd bowel and mix well.

Add hing, chopped coriander, lemon juice, salt and mix well.
Pour the remaining water and stir well.
Now Neer more is ready to cool your tummy J

Vadaparuppu:

Vadaparuppu is made of yellow moong dal as an offering to Lord Rama on “Rama Navami” along with Panakam and Neer more.

Ingredients:

Yellow moong dal – 1 cup

Lemon juice – 1tsp
Salt to taste

For tempering:

Oil – 1tsp
Mustard seeds – ½tsp
Urad dal – ½tsp
Green chilli – 1
Hing – ½tsp

Method:

Soak moong dal for an hour in water.
Drain the water and keep the moong dal aside.
Do tempering and add it to the moong dal.
Add lemon juice and salt to it and mix well.
Vadaparuppu is now ready.

Vada Curry

Vadakari is a south Indian side dish, very aromatic and little spicy. I have tasted this vadakari in restaurants and now tried this for first time at home. They go well with idly, dosa, chapatti, and parotta. Usually Bengal gram vada is used for vadakari, but here I have used the leftover dal vada to make this vadakari. So if you have leftover dal vada, then it takes only 30 min to make this recipe.

Ingredients:

Paruppu vada / Dal vada – 6 numbers

Onion – 2big

Tomato – 1 (make puree)

Green chilli – 2 big (slitted)

Ginger garlic paste – 2tsp

Fennel seeds – 1tsp

Bay leaf – 1

Cinnamon – 1 small piece

Cardamom – 1

Clove – 1

Red chilli powder – 2tsp

Garam masala powder – 1tsp

Turmeric powder – 1tsp

Chopped curry leaves – 1tsp

Chopped coriander – 1tbsp

Oil – 1 1/2tbsp

Salt to taste

Ingredients for Paruppu vada:

Thoor dal – 1cup

Chana dal / Bengal gram – 1cup

Paruppu Vada

Urad dal - ¼ cup

Chopped onion – 1cup

Chopped green chilli – 1tbsp

Chopped fresh coriander – 1tbsp

Red chilli – 4 to5 (depend on spice of the chilli) 

Hing – 1tsp

Curry leaves – 1tbsp

Oil to fry

Salt to taste

Method:

For making vada:

Soak all the three dal for 1 hour.

Ground coarsely with red chilli, hing, curry leaves and salt to thick consistency. 

Add the chopped onion, green chilli and coriander to the vada batter.

Fry in oil like any other fritter/ vada and keep aside.

For Vadakari:

In a pan heat oil, add fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, clove and fry.

Add the chopped onion and fry for 2min, add the ginger garlic paste and fry well till the raw smell goes, followed by slitted green chillies.

Add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt.

Stir them for 2,3min till you see oil oozing out.

Pour some water and let them boil for 5min.

When the gravy is ready, cut the vadas into small pieces using hands and add them to the gravy.

Saute for 2min in low flame.

Now sprinkle some chopped coriander and serve hot.

Easy and tasty Aval Upma / Poha upma

Aval or Poha (Flattened rice flakes) is known for making easy recipes. There are two types in aval, thick and thin. I usually use thick aval as they don’t get soggy like thin aval and best for making upma. They take less time to cook as well. So obviously best for breakfast :) We can have papad, chips or vadam as side dish for this upma.

Ingredients:

Thick aval – 1cup

Chopped onion – 1cup
Chopped tomato – ½ cup
Chopped capsicum – ½ cup
Green chill – 2 medium
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Urad dal – 1tsp
Curry leaves – 1tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 1tbsp

Method:

Wash aval in water and remove the dust particles.
Soak in water for 15min. The water level should equal to the aval (if more water is used the aval will become soggy). If using thin aval then just wash and keep aside.
In a pan heat oil, add mustard seed, urad dal, curry leaves and chopped green chillies, one by one and fry.
Add the chopped onion and fry for 2min, add tomato, capsicum, turmeric powder, salt and fry for 2, 3 min. 
Now add the soaked aval stir well and close the pan (if they look dry sprinkle some water and close the pan). Let they get cooked for 2min.
Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Badam kheer

Happy Ugadi, Tamil New year and Vishu to all!! Celebrate this festival season with Badam kheer. A rich creamy kheer garnished with cashew and raisin.

Ingredients:

Milk – ½ litter
Sugar – 7 to 9tbsp
Badam – 10 numbers
Cashew – 6 to 7 numbers
Pinch of cardamom powder

For garnishing:

5 to 6 cashews fried in 1tsp ghee.
5 5ot 6 raisin fried in ghee.

Method:

Soak badam and cashew for 1hour in water.
Peel off the badam skin. Ground badam and cashew to coarse paste and keep aside.
Add the milk to a saucepan or a heavy bottom pan.
Boil them till they reach the semi thick consistency, let say 15 to 20min.
Add sugar and keep on string the milk to avoid overflow.
Now add the grounded paste. Let them boil for another 5min.
Add pinch of cardamom powder before removing from the stove.
Refrigerate and serve chill, garnishing with fried cashew and raisin.

Note: Keep some boiled milk handy to add while serving, if the kheer becomes thick.

Rava Kichadi / Semolina Kichadi

Kichadi is another form of upma, simply say, doing makeover to upma is Kichadi. In rava upma usually no vegetables are added, whereas in kichadi veggies are added and they look little slippery. Good breakfast menu. You can add veggies like, Carrot, beans, Capsicum, potato and also peas.

Ingredients:

White Rava (semolina) – 1cup
Water – 3 ½ cup

Chopped veggies:

Onion – 2numbers (medium)
Tomato – 1number (medium)
Carrot – ½ cup
Capsicum – ¼ cup
Beans – ¼ cup
Green chilli – 2numbers

For tempering:

Oil – 2tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Urad dal – 1tsp
Curry leaves – 2tbsp

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder – 1tsp

Garnishing:

Fried or raw cashew (broken) – 1tbsp
Finely chopped fresh coriander – 1tsp (optional)
Ghee for topping

Method:

Dry roast the rava in a wok till they turn light brown and keep aside.
In a heavy bottom wok or kadai, heat oil 2tbsp.
Do the tempering by adding mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves one after one.
Chop the onion and add it to the wok along with green chilli. Fry for 1min and add the finely chopped tomato.
Fry till the tomato gets mushy, then add all the veggies, mix well.
Add water and stir well. Let them boil till you see bubbles, say 5 min (in medium flame)
Now add the roasted rava, mix well and close the lid.
Let them cook for 5min.
Garnish and serve with chutney, sambar, pickle or sugar. 

Spicy and tangy Thakalli thokku/ Tomato thokku

This is a savior in busy times. You can have this thokku with bread, chapatti/ roti, rice, upma, dosa or in any form you love. I used to have britania biscuit with this thokku spreading like jamJ. Best is, buy tomato when available abundantly in the market at cheap rate and make this thokku. It can be used for 2, 3 weeks if stored in refrigerator. Best companion for day picnics. Use pulpy, ripped tomato for best result. You will yield 1cup tomato thokku from this recipe. 

Ingredients:

Ripped thakalli/tomato -5numbers (medium)
Finely chopped onion – 2tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1tsp
Red chilli powder – 2tsp (if your powder is less spicy make it 3tsp)
Salt – ½tsp
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Garlic pods – 2numbers (optional)
Oil – ¼ cup (refined oil or sesame oil)

Method:

Wash and grind the tomato into puree.
In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, garlic pods, chopped onion and fry for 1min.
Add the tomato puree, followed by red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and stir well.

The tomato will start splutter immediately after string, so close the pan and keep the flame low.
The whole process will take 30 to 45 min (cook in low flame). Check the taste and add chill powder or salt if needed. 

Once the gravy reached its consistency and the oil start oozing out, switch off the stove. Store it in an air tight container. And don’t forget to refrigerate.