Aapam

Ingredients:
makes 10 appams

Par-boiled Rice - 1 cup
Raw Rice - 1 cup
Aval (Poha) - 1/4 cup
Urad Dhal - 1/4 cup
Methi (fenugreek) seeds - 1 tsp
Coconut Milk - 1/4 cup (Optional)
Salt - to taste
Baking Soda - 2 pinches

Method:


1)Soak the rice, aval, dhal and fenugreek seeds together for a minimum of 4 hrs .

2) Grind it well like dosa batter

3) Add required salt and allow to ferment for atleast 6 hrs.

4) When ready to make aapams, add baking soda and coconut milk diluted with some water and mix well to a consistency of thin dosa batter .

5) Heat an aapam pan (I have a non-stick one and it makes life so much easier and requires no oil at all). Pour about 2 scoops of the batter and swirl the aapam pan in a clockwise manner so the batter spreads to the edges of the pan. If the pan is hot enough, the batter will coat well along the sides of the pan. The middle of the aapam is usually thicker and spongy while the edges are thin and crispy.

6) Cover and let cook on a medium to med-high flame until the middle portion is done. Remove from pan. (Aapams are not flipped over like dosa).

7) Serve with sweetened coconut milk , egg curry, Vegetable/ chicken stew.

Cabbage kootu

Ingredients:

Cabbage : 2 cups(finely chopped)
Channa dal : 1/2 cup
Moong dhal : 1/4 cup
Onion : 1/2(finely chopped)
Tomato : 1/2
Green chilies : 2
Curry leaves : 4 to 5
Oil : 2 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Jeera : 1tsp
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
Urad dal : 1 tsp
Asafoaetida : a pinch
Ghee : 1 tbsp
Coconut : 3tbsp shredded (optional)
Ginger : 1/2 tbsp(finely chopped)
Salt to taste

Method

1.Pressure cook the dals with onions ,chopped tomatoes, green chilies, ginger, turmeric powder , salt with a cup of water and 1 tsp of oil.
2.Add cabbage to the cooked dhal and mix well.
3.Boil the whole mixture for about 10 minutes .Make sure that the dal is mashed well and cabbage is cooked.
4. Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds , urad dal, jeera, curry leaves, asafoetida after the seeds splutter put it in the dhall and cabbage mixture .
5. Add the shredded coconut and remove from heat.
6. Garnish with corriander leaves.

Mushroom Fry

Serves 2

Ingredients
Button Mushrooms 15 nos
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala/curry powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

Method

1. Wash, cut and marinate the mushrooms with all the above ingredients for not less than 15 min.
2. Add a tsp of oil to a saucepan or kadai and shallow fry the mushrooms.
3. Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot.

Black gram vada (Ulundhu/Medhu vadai)

Ingredients

Urad dhal - 1 cup
Green chilli - 2
Fresh ginger - a small piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
Hing - 1 pinch
chopped onions - 1/4 cup (optional)
few curry leaves and coriander leaves - finely chopped
Salt - half teaspoon
Oil - for frying


Method

Soak urad dhal in water for two hours. Wash well and grind to a soft paste along with salt, hing, ginger, garlic and green chillies. The dough should float on water. This is the right consistency. Remove and add chopped onions,curry leaves, coriander leaves and mix well.

Heat oil in a kadai. Take a lemon size ball and slightly flatten it and make a hole in the centre (you can also use a plastic sheet to do this). Drop gently in the hot oil and deep fry till it becomes golden brown. Make sure the oil is in medium heat and not to be smoking hot.

serve hot.

Tips : vadas can be made in two ways. Take out a small portion of banana leaf or a thick plastic paper. Wet the leaf or plastic paper. Dip you hands in the water so that your hands will also be wet. Take out a lump of batter and make a ball. Put the ball in the leaf or sheet and gently press with your fingers and make a hole. Take the leaf or sheet along with vadai in one hand and gently lift the vadai using your thumb of other hand and remove the leaf or sheet. Now the vadai will be in your hand. Drop it in the hot oil and fry.

The other way is, Wet your hand and take out the batter and make a lemon size ball and gently push the ball from your palm to the end of the fingers (top of the four fingers) and press with your thumb and make a round and make a hole with your thumb and put it hot oil. This will come with practice and is a quick method also.

To get crispy vadai, you can add a teaspoon of rice while soaking urad dhal or add a teasoon of rice flour while grinding. The batter also should be very fine.

Healthy Adai / Navadhaania Adai

This adai is made with 9 cereals and pulses and is loaded with nutrients.

Ingredients

1.Rice - 1 cup
2.Thoor dhal - 1/2 cup
3.Bengal gram - 1/2 cup
4.Black gram whole or split - 1/4 cup
5.Moong dhal whole or split - 1/4 cup
6.Horse gram - 1/4 cup
7.fenugreek seeds - 2 tsp

Soak the above ingredients for 3 hrs and then grind them along with the ingredients given below to dosa batter consistency.

8.Aval - 1/4 cup
9.Roastedgram, Pottu kadalai - 1/4 cup
red chillies - 3
ginger - 2 inches
hing - 1 pinch

After 2 hrs of fermentation add salt to taste and make dosas.
Chopped oninons, shredded coconut, finely chopped curry leaves and corriander leaves can also be added to the batter.
Serve with avial/ coconut chutney/ idli milagai podi

Channa Masala/Chole

Ingedients
Chick peas (kabuli chana) 1 cup
Onion 1
Tomato 2
Green chilli 1
Garlic 4-5 cloves
Ginger an inch
Bay leaves 1
cinnamon 1 inch
cloves 1
jeera 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder 1 tsp.
Channa masala powder or Garam Masala powder 1 tsp.
oil 3 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

1. Soak chick peas in water overnight. Cook till soft in pressure cooker
2. Cut onion, tomato and green chilli. Grind it in mixie along with ginger and garlic and make paste.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry bay leaves, cinnamon, clove and jeera for 30 secs. Add the paste and fry on medium heat until golden brown (The oil starts separating from the mixture).
5. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, channa masala/garam masala and salt. Mix well. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add water enough to make thick gravy. Bring the gravy to boil.

7. Add cooked chick peas (along with the water in which it was cooked). Stir well and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

Garnish with chopped green coriander leaves and serve hot.

Homemade Chana Masala Powder
Makes 1/2 cup channa masala

1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
2 tablespoons of cumin seeds
2/3 teaspoons of black cardamom seeds
1/3 teaspoons of yellow cardamom seeds
1 2/3 teaspoons of black peppercorns
2 - 3 dried red chillies
1/3 teaspoons of whole cloves
pinch of ground ginger powder
pinch of mace
pinch of nutmeg
1/3 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon of amchoor powder

Roast them dry and grind them into fine powder. Store in a air tight container.

Masal Vadai

INGREDIENTS:
Makes 10 vadai

Bengal gram dal - 1 cup
Red chillies - 2
Ginger – 2 inch piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Curry leaves – a few
Fennel seeds - 1tsp
Salt to taste

METHOD:
1. Soak Bengal gram dal for half an hour.
2. Grind ginger,garlic, asafoetida, fennels and chillies with little of the soaked dal.
3. Now add the remaining soaked and drained dal and salt to the mixer and grind into a coarse mixture. Do not add water, as the mixture should be thick.
4. Mix in the shredded curry leaves and corriander leaves to the dough and mix well. The vadai mixture is now ready.
5. Heat oil in a kadai.
6. Take a ¾ tablespoon of the vadai mixture and shape into a small ball, with your hand.
7. Keep the ball in the palm of one hand, and lightly press and flatten with three fingers of your other hand, giving the vadai its shape and deep fry.
8. Vadais can be cooked in batches of four or six.
Enjoy them plain or savour it with mint or coconut chutney.

Tip : one can add chopped onion, grated coconut, grated carrot, mint leaves and other greens.