Hummus is a very popular Middle eastern dip made of chickpeas. It is now known and become famous in many parts of the world. Also famous in Greek restaurants. It is rich in protein and iron. Hearing the name it may look different or very hard to prepare, (because i thought the same when i had it in a restaurant for the first time) but later I found, its very easy to prepare at home and in less time. A simple Vegan recipe.
Tahini, the main ingredient used to prepare Hummus can be found in many grocery stores. But here i used the homemade Tahini as it is really easy to prepare at home. Once Tahini is made and refrigerated, you can prepare hummus at anytime using it. It is totally preservative free!
I used Olive oil, as the traditional recipe calls for it. But if its not available replace with sesame oil or any cooking oil. Overall its a healthy dip goes well with veggies like broccoli, carrot, pita breads and for anything up to your creativity. It can be used as a spread over bread.
Here goes the step by step recipes for Hummus and Tahini,
Tahini Recipe
Ingredients:
White Sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Olive oil - little less than 1/4 cup
Method:
Fry the sesame seeds in a pan (without oil) till it turn golden brown.
Keep the flame in medium to low.
Sesame seeds tend to burn easily, so watch while frying.
Remove from the heat and let it cool.
Add the sesame seeds to the blender and blend for a second.
Then add the olive oil little by little and grind to a smooth paste.
It should be in pouring consistency.
Remove from the jar and transfer to a air tight container and refrigerate it.
It can be stored for months.
Hummus Recipe
Ingredients:
White Channa / Chickpeas (cooked) - 1 cup
Tahini - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder or Paprika - little less than 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Garlic - 1 pod
Fresh lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Salt - less than 1/4 tsp (adjust yourself)
Olive oil - little less than 1/4 cup (adjust while grinding)
Chickpeas cooked water - as required
Method:
Soak the channa overnight or 7 to 8 hours.
Cook it with salt to 6 to 7 whistles till it get cooked soft.
Reserve the cooked water for grinding.
Add the channa to the blender and blend once.
Add red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt, tahini, olive oil, peeled garlic and blend.
Add lemon juice and adjust salt, olive oil and other powders.
Blend it till it reach a nice paste/ chutney consistency.
Remove from the jar and store it in an air tight container and refrigerate it.
It stays fresh for a week.
Garnishing while serving:
Sprinkle little red chili powder, olive oil and cilantro / coriander or parsley along with few cooked chickpeas over the hummus.
Note :
Adjust the ingredients Tahini, lemon juice, red chilli powder, garlic as per your taste.
I used olive oil, if its not available use sesame or vegetable, corn or other cooking oil.
Ribbon pakoda commonly called as Nada thenkuzhal is a spicy snake make of rice flour and besan flour. Nada thenkuzhal is a must in Deepavali Snack menu in our family. Its easy to prepare in normal days too. It can be prepared in large quantity and stored in and air tight container for weeks. Instant evening snack with a cuppa coffee :-)
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Besan flour / Kadalai mavu - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1tbsp
Asafoetida / Hing - 1 tsp
Salt
Hot ghee (clarified butter) or oil - 1 tbsp
Oil for frying
Method:
Heat the oil in a pan or wok to fry.
Mix, rice flour, besan flour, red chilli powder, hing and salt in a bowl.
Now start adding water to the mixture and make a soft dough. Add hot oil or ghee or simply butter while kneading the dough. It make the dough softer and gives nice aroma.
The taste and texture of the pokoda depends on the dough. Make sure its not too hard like chapati dough or to watery.
When the oil is hot enough, place a piece of flour ball in the pakoda press( murukku press) and press it over the oil in circular motion. Use the murukku plate which have one or two rectangle hole in it for this pakoda.
Once it start turning light brown turn it other side using a ladle. Fry both the sides and remove from the oil once the sizzling sound reduces and place it in a paper towel.
Cool it down and store it in a air tight container.
Notes:
You can add Sesame seeds in the mixture. It enhances the taste and flavor.
Adjust the heat of the oil while frying. It should not be too hot as the pakodas will turn dark brown or red or too low to fry.
Do it in batches, if you are making large quantities. Make the dough in small quantities and fry.
Increase the chilli powder if you want more spicy pakoda.
Vada curry is a famous South Indian side dish made of channa dal. Sometimes it can be prepared with leftover vadas. It can be found in many restaurants menus across South India. It goes well with soft dosas, idly, uthapams. Here goes the recipe for the spicy Vada Curry,
Ingredients:
For Vadai:
Channa dal / bengal gram dal - 1/2 cup
Red chilli - 4 numbers
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Clove - 1 small
salt
For Masala:
Onion - 1/2 of one big onion (approx 1 cup)
Tomato - 2 big
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli - 2 numbers
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 1/2 of one pod
Clove - 1 small
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon - small piece
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - 2 cups (2 1/2 cups for watery masala)
Garnishing :
Chopped coriander - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 2 numbers
Method:
For Vadai:
Soak channa dal in water for 2 to 3 hours.
Drain the water completely and grind it with fennel seeds, red chilli, clove and salt without adding water. (just sprinkle some water if you find difficult in grinding)
Make the channa mix into small roughly round shape balls.
Grease the idly plates with some oil and place the balls in it.
Steam cook them for 15 min or till it get cooked well.
Remove from the plate, scramble them little bit and store it in a bowl.
For Masala:
Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, clove bay leaf, and fry for a second.
Add the onion and fry till golden brown, now add the ginger garlic paste, slitted green chillies and fry for a minute.
Add the chopped tomato followed by red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder and salt.
Fry the tomato till it turn mushy, then add garam masala.
Cook until you see the oil oozing out.
Now the mixture look combined well and mushy.
At this stage add water and let it boil.
Once you see bubbles in water add the vadai pieces.
Turn the flame to medium to low, and cook till the vadai's get perfectly suck the masala and absorbed the water.
Sprinkle the chopped coriander and curry leaves and remove from the stove.
Serve hot with idly, dosa, chapati, rice or simply eat as a snack if you like.
Note:
Watch for spice, as we are adding it in three forms, red chilli, red chilli powder and green chilli. If you want less spicy reduce the green chilli or chilli powder.
If you prefer your vada curry watery, add more then two cups water.
I didnt add mustard seeds, you can add while tempering.
Here is the another version I made with leftover paruppu vadai, Vada Curry
I prepared Paal Payasam this time for Shvaratri. Paal apayasam is made of raw rice, milk and sugar. This traditional dessert is made on auspicious and festival days. Payasams are always easy to prepare and they never fail you. Here goes the recipe for Paal Payasam,
Ingredients:
Milk - 8 cups (i used small coffee tumbler)
Sugar - 1 cup
Raw rice - 3 tbsp (i used basmathi rice)
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashews and raisins - each 1 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Method:
Add milk to a heavy bottom pan and bring to boil.
Heat ghee in a pan. Add the cashews and raisins and fry till they turn light brown and keep aside.
In the same ghee add the rice and fry till it turn very light brown.
Add the fried rice to the boiling milk.
Keep the flame in low and stir the milk in frequent intervals.
Keep watching the milk, to avoid burning at the bottom. Also place a ladle in the milk to avoid overflow.
Once the milk reach half of its quantity, check if the rice get cooked well.
Keep the process till the rice got cooked.
Now add the cardamom powder, cashews and raisins.
Remove from the heat and serve hot or cold after refrigerating it.
I made this Halwa on request from a friend. Her kid likes apple recipes with chunks in it. So I finally end up with this halwa recipe. I once made this halwa with apple puree, this time i tried shredded method and it came out well. It take less time to prepare and with less ingredients.
A special dessert for Valentines Day!!
Ingredients:
Apple - 1 big
Sugar - 8 to 9 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified butter - 3 tsp
Cashews - 1 tbsp chopped
Nutmeg Powder - a pinch (optional)
Cardamom powder - a big pinch
Food colour / Kesari powder - a pinch
Method:
Wash and peel the apple, remove the seeds and cut into four lengthwise pieces.
Shred it using a shredder. Use the big hole to shred, so that the apples remain as chunks. Keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan, add the chopped cashews and fry till light brown.
Remove the cashews and in the same pan with ghee, add the shredded apple.
Fry till all the water get evaporated.
Once it turn dry, add sugar and the food colour.
Mix well and add 2 tsp ghee.
Now add the nutmeg powder, cardamom powder and fried cashews.
Stir till the apples get the thick halwa consistency.
At this stage they wont stick to the pan.
Keep a greased(with ghee) plate/ pan ready and pour the halwa to it.
Keep it for 10 to 15 min and make pieces.
Or skip the step and serve as it is.
Note:
I made with just one apple. It yields one cup halwa. For large quantity increase the number of apples.
Adjust sugar as per your taste.
I Skipped making pieces and served as it is.
Bajji is a famous south Indian snack made with besan batter and veggies like potato, onion, eggplant. I read somewhere about the bread bajji and thought of trying it. Just replaced veggies with bread. Its an instant snack which takes no time to prepare. If you have leftover breads, then this is a good try. I usually struggle to finish off the bread before it expires. This recipe turn these bread to a toothsome evening snack. Bread bajji and a cuppa coffee or tea makes your taste buds more happy.
Ingredients:
Bread - 4 pieces (i used Wheat bread)
Besan flour/ Kadalai mavu - 1 cup
Rice flour / Arisi mavu - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Hing/ Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch (optional)
Salt
Oil to fry
Method:
Cut the all four corner part of the bread. Cut it into to halves lengthwise.
Mix besan flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, hing, baking soda and salt.
Add water little by little and make a semi solid batter. It should not be watery or too thick.
Heat oil in a wok/ kadai.
Dip the bread piece into the batter and place it in the hot oil.
Two at a time works better.
Fry both sides till its crisp.
Remove from oil and place it in a paper towel.
Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chutney.
Therattipal is a famous sweet dish in Tamil Nadu. Srivilliputhur in Tamil Nadu is very vamous for its Palkova. There are lot of sweet shops selling palkova, you can get a very good palkova in Aavin stores (I'm a big fan of it). But its always tastes more good and homely when prepared at home. Its very easy to prepare as the recipe calls for simple ingredients like milk and sugar. But need little patience, as it it take long time to cook. But you will see the worth standing near the stove while tasting it. Here is the recipe,
Cooking time :1 hr 30 min
Ingredients:
Milk - 4 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - a pinch (if you like the cardamom flavor in therattipal, make it a big pinch)
Ghee - 1/2 tsp
Method:
Use a heavy bottom pan as milk tend to stick all over the pan during the cooking time.
Take 4 cups of milk in a heavy bottom pan and bring to boil.
Use a thin tip ladle so that you can remove the milk that's sticks in the pan then and there.
Keep the flame in medium. Stir in frequent intervals to avoid milk sticking at the bottom of the pan.
Once the 4 cups reach to 1 cup consistency add the ghee and sugar.
Stir till it reach the semi solid consistency. Now you will see a change in colour to light brownish yellow.
Remove from the pan and cool down before serving.
Note :
Use full fat milk or 2 % reduced fat milk for the assured taste.
