MASALA VADA / MASAL VADAI RECIPE

   I rarely make masala vada as I was not confident making these. We, in our families make plain paruppu vadai in which we don’t add garlic, mint leaves or even fennel. Just make it in a different way. So when ever I cross any tea shops, the smell of these masal vadais will hook me. I will keep wondering what could be the factor. Once, one of my grandpa bought a masal vadai in Chidambaram. I loved it a lot. I was very young only around 12 or something, still remembering that vadai. It was as big as our palm size and had lots of onion and veggies too like carrot,peas. Superb vadais.
   Then after I started cooking only made few times,but the paruppu vadai veriosn. I asked one of my friend about the flavourful perfect masala vada recipe. She said, pudina(mint leaves) and crushed garlic and fennel does the magic. So tried few times that way and loved the flavour! So today I made it to blog the recipe. Vj doesn't like fennel so I reserved some batter for him without fennel :)

Masala vada recipe

Raks kitchen Indian Snacks

Prep Time: 3 Hours soaking time    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Makes: 20

Ingredients

Channa dal/kadalai paruppu	1 cup
Rice flour/Raw rice	1 tblsp
Onion	1
green chillies	5
Fennel/ soambu	1 tsp
Coriander and mint leaves,chopped	each 2 tblsp
Salt	as needed
Curry leaves	1 sprig
Ginger	1 inch piece
Garlic	5-6 cloves

Method

1. Soak channa dal for 3-4 hours. First grind ginger, garlic, chillies and fennel coarsely.
2. Then drain channa dal completely and add it in two batches and grind coarsely. Not too smooth not very coarse too. Refer picture. One or two channa dal can be whole.
3. Mix finely chopped onion, coriander and mint, salt, rice flour and curry leaves.
4. Keep a bowl with water and wet both hands. Make equal sized balls first for uniform sized vadas. Heat oil in kadai meanwhile. Shape each ball to flat patties of medium thickness.
5. Deep fry in hot oil until golden in colour,flipping once in between. Always cook in medium flame to ensure even cooking and golden colour. When you drop oil, heat should be high. Simmer after you drop all vadas and cook in medium flame until done. Drain in paper towel.

Notes

• If we dont soak for enough time, vada may turn hard and too crisp.
• Rice flour or sooji is to make crisp. Its optional too. If using rice, soak along with dal.
• You can also replace ginger and garlic with Ginger garlic paste.
• Grinding ginger and garlic coarsely adds a kind of flavour.
• You can even add a 3/4 tsp of garam masala.
• If you dont like garlic you can omit and add asafoetida 1/4 tsp.
• No need to add water while grinding.
• Red chillies can be replaced for green chillies.

     Serve hot with tea/coffee and spicy mint or coconut chutney as side dish for vada …

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ORANGE JUICE WITH LEMON | SIMPLE SUMMER DRINKS

       To take orange juice plain, I love to add lemon in it and make it as a punch. This combination of orange + lemon punch, I had in Indian wok restaurant last month when we went for dinner there. Its named as Ganga Jamuna.  Ganga jamuna drink is desi punch recipe which is available in most of the fruit juice shops and restaurants and I have to say the mixture of fruits vary from one to another. In saravana bhavan ganga Jamuna is mixture of two variety of oranges I think. Like wise there is no basic rules for this and it definitely has a punch in it! Now a days I add lemon juice in all the juices like pineapple,nannari etc.. and will share one by one here. 

Orange lemon juice

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Drink
Prep Time:5 mins     |  Cook time: 0 mins     |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Orange - 3

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Lemon - 1

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Sugar - 1 tblsp

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Salt - A small pinch

Method

1. No such big method here, just squeeze the juice from orange(I like it with pulp, if you want you can strain) and squeeze juice from lemon and mix sugar,salt.Add little water if needed.

Notes

• Always your juice turns bitter? that means you are squeezing too hard that the bitterness from the peel gets into the juice. Be gentle while squeezing and dont try to get too much from the fruit ;)
• Still bitter? After cutting into two halves, give a quick wash in water and then squeeze.
• There is no such rules for the mixing, you can even add soda water and enjoy the fizz!

Place required ice cubes in the serving glasses and fill the glass with the juice and quench your thirst!

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RAW MANGO RICE | MANGO RECIPES

     
       It would have been few years since I made Mango rice. Since mango season has started, I thought I should make it. And bought a couple of raw mangoes when I went to little Indian market with Jeyashri. Today I made and had it for lunch at last! This one is very simple recipe and its an easy lunch box idea as well. Just had it with mom’s home made vadams. Just the grating part. Otherwise, within 10 minutes the rice is ready! I had the recipe in a recipe book by Ramani Chandran called “Rani samayal.”

Ingredients

Raw mango	1
Turmeric	1/8 tsp
Salt	As needed
Rice	1 cup (un cooked)

To temper

Sesame oil	2 tblsp
Mustard	1 tsp
Urad dal	2 tsp
Channa dal	2 tsp
Peanuts	1 tblsp
Asafoetida	1/8 tsp
Red Chillies	5
Green Chillies	5
Curry leaves	1 sprig

 

Method

Cook rice with 2 cups water for 3-4 whistles, cool down and separate the grains. Peel the mango and grate it finely. Heat pan with oil and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table in order. Add turmeric powder,grated mango and mix. Fry for 2 minutes in medium flame. Lastly add salt and mix well. Mix with the cooled rice and serve with papad.

                 The rice is so flavourful and goes well with any papad/ vadaams or simple poriyals !

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HONEYDEW MELON JUICE/ SMOOTHIE | SIMPLE SUMMER DRINKS

     Summer is here and we have to keep our body cool from inside too… Honeydew melon is one of my favourite and Vj’s Favourite too… Mostly I would prefer to eat the fruit, but Vj loves to have in juice form. My MIL makes Kirini palam juice just by cutting the fruit and scooping out the pulp using a ladle itself. I do the same for this if its a super ripe fruit or if its a bit firm, then I cut into small pieces and peel off the skin and grind with ice to make smoothie.  I am not sure if honeydew melon  and the kirini pazham we get in Chennai are the same. Do share if you know!

    Its so simple but tastes and smells great and cools your body as well.

Honeydew melon juice

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Drink
Prep Time:5 mins     |  Cook time: 0 mins     |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Honeydew melon, chilled - 1/2

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Sugar or honey - 1 tblsp

Method 

1. Peel the skin along with the thick part of the fruit, remove the seeds in the middle and chop roughly. Transfer the fruit with sugar and ice cube to a blender. Blend until smooth. You can also grind it as such and keep refrigerated.

The smoothie is supposed to be thick.So no need to add water. Its very perfect for breakfast, so filling and comforting!

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DAHI VADA RECIPE | DAHI BHALLA

                                             
    I have tasted South Indian version of this – Thayir vadai. But not this version. Wanted to try Dahi vada for long time, but you know, making both chutneys never coincide and sometimes even curd will be my concern.  But this time every thing clicked and I made, had this Dahi vada also known as Dahi Bhalla. Being a chat lover, sure enjoyed each and every bite! Sure the South Indian version and this one has lot of difference taste wise and look wise… Both are yumm and love both. I never like my curd to be tangy. I love it fresh and good. But many like it tangy. Its your choice of taste, what ever you like!

Dahi Vada/ Dahi bhalla recipe

Raks kitchen Indian Snacks

Prep Time: 3 Hours (soaking time)    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Serves: 4

Ingredients

Urad dal/ulundhu (white,whole)	1/2 cup
Curd	1/2 cup – 3/4 cup
Milk	3/4 cup
Green chutney	2 tsp
Sweet chutney	2 tbslp
Coriander leaves,chopped	1 tblsp
Red chilli powder	1/2 tsp
Chat masala	1/2 tsp
Salt	As needed
Ginger	1 small piece
Green chilli	1 - 2
Sev	For garnishing

 

Method

1. Soak urad dal for 3-4 hours,after washing in water. Grind it with ginger,green chilli using only very little water. Grind until smooth and fluffy. Mix with salt only at the time you are going to deep fry. Wet your hands and make small lemon sized balls.
2. Deep fry in hot oil in medium flame until golden colour in all sides. Flip in between for even cooking. Drain in paper towels.
3. Heat milk until its hot,no need to boil it, and then take it in a broad bowl, add little bit of salt and fried vadas to the milk and let it get soaked. say 20 minutes or so.Turn over carefully in between. Beat curd until smooth.
4. If you feel milk is more, drain it and mix required amount to the curd to make it runny(still thick) consistency and add the curd to the soaked vadas and mix well. Add required salt and let it set for 1/2 hour.

Notes

• I use milk because, I love my dahi vada  not to be so sour, if you want you can also do this in water. If using water, squeeze the excess water.
• In case the vada batter is sticky or watery, add a tblsp of rice flour and try refrigerating the batter for an hour. 
• Always cook vadas in medium flame to ensure cooking in the middle.
• Add vadas to hot/warm milk or water to get soaked quickly. 
• Sev garnishing is optional, you can also use boondi for garnish!
• We also make mini balls like this same way and make raita with it.

        At the time of serving, arrange in plate, sprinkle green chutney, red chutney, coriander leaves, red chilli powder, chaat masala and lastly sprinkle some sev if you want! And enjoy these sinfully delicious dahi bhallas/ vadas! I usually love more of Sweet chutney in this…

Technorati Tags: dahi puri recipe,dahi poori recipe,dahi bhalla,dahi bhalla recipe,how to make north indian dahi vada

Veppam poo rasam recipe | Tamil new year recipes

      
   Neem flower rasam / Veppampoo rasam is one which I used to hate. Mom always insists to add some bitter taste in diet at least once in a week or month. But never followed her words…;) She every time collects neem flower from our backyard(tree) and preserves and pass to me. But I keep it in Chennai itself and come. This time when I saw the neem flowers given by her in Chennai, I felt bad and Vj too asked me to take it and try some thing with it. So I took and came to SG. I took the recipe for rasam from her and it sounded damn easy!  I decided the very instant to try this out.



    Actually we make it specially for Thamizh new year. We make mango pachadi, neem rasam compulsorily as its meant to include all the tastes-sweet and tangy taste from mango pachadi, salt and bitterness from this neem rasam, on the very first day of Tamil new year, so that we can be prepared for all the situations in our life throughout the year. So I thought of making and posting here. This year we have no celebrations as my paati passed away. The moment I made this rasam, the whole house was filled with aroma, and I was so tempted to eat rice with the rasam immediately. It tastes and smells great! And above all its good for health. I do have a thogayal recipe with neem flower, will post that soon as well :)

Veppam poo Rasam recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 5 mins    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Neem flower (veppam poo) - 1 tblsp

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Tamarind - Gooseberry sized

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Salt - As needed

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Sugar - 1/2 tsp

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Turmeric - 1/8 tsp

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To Temper

Ghee - 1 tsp

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Mustard - 1 tsp

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Red chillies - 4-5

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Urad dal - 1 tsp

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Toor dal - 1 tsp

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Curry leaves - 1 sprig

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Asafoetida - 3 pinches

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Method

1. Extract tamarind juice, keep aside. Heat a pan and roast the neem flower until u can smell a nice aroma and turns deep red.Keep aside. Add ghee in the pan and temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Add the tamarind extract,salt and turmeric.
2. Bring to boil. Switch off the stove and add the roasted neem flower and mix well.

Notes

• Roast the neem flower carefully in medium flame until nice aroma rises.
• Do not boil after adding the neem flower.
• Stays good for 2 days even, if kept refrigerated!

When I finished making the rasam, the whole house was filled with aroma! I could not resist the smell of the rasam…! A healthy rasam is ready!

 

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Badam halwa recipe | Indian sweet recipes

       I rarely tasted or touched badam before marriage. Post marriage, MIL used to make a cashew badam burfi, which I too have made quite a few times and can confidentially make it. The recipe for the same I will share in recent future. But Badam Halwa is so new to me and heard only a couple of years back and when I told Vj, he said he love it a lot. But never thought of attempting at home. Mom some times makes burfi and end up in halwa… Have tasted that. But this time when we went to Chennai, someone bought badam halwa when they visited us. Vj enjoyed it. So thought, why not try it out at home. Last friday was our 9th wedding anniversary and I thought its the right time to treat him with badam halwa. Just quickly referred few sites to get an idea about the recipe and tried my own. Its not at all complicated. How can so much sugar and so much ghee recipe go wrong ? ;)
&It turned out perfect and the taste was awesome. Do try for special occasions and you too will agree with me!

Badam halwa recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Sweet/ Dessert
Prep Time: 3 Hours soaking time    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Serves: 4

Ingredients

Badam - 1/2 cup heaped

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Sugar - 1/2 cup heaped

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Ghee (clarified butter) - 1/4 cup

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Condensed milk (optional) - 3 tblsp

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Saffron or yellow food colour - 1 pinch

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Elachi - 1, powdered

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Method

1. Soak badam for 3-4 hours in enough water. Peel the skin and grind it with 1/4 cup milk or water to a really smooth paste.
2. Take a heavy bottom pan or non stick pan(preferably deep pan to avoid splattering). Add sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to boil and wait until the sugar dissolves. Simmer the stove to medium.Add the ground paste and mix well to avoid lumps.
3. Add condensed milk,saffron soaked in luke-warm milk or food colour and elachi. Keep stirring for 4 minutes.

4. Add a tsp ghee in regular intervals and keep stirring until the halwa starts leaving the pan. After that very soon say 3 minutes, you will see whitish bubbles start appearing at the bottom where you stir. This is the right stage and pour in a greased plate to let it cool down.

Notes

• While grinding the almonds, after the few seconds of grinding, make sure you wipe off the sides and lids of the mixer to ensure even grinding.
• Add more water while grinding if its needed. I had given only approximate measure.
• Adding condensed milk is purely optional. It enhances the taste, but it takes a while more than usual if you add. but only a little, tastes great!
• Adding ghee is very important for halwas. If you are concerned about the ghee, please do not make :) Definitely there will be texture wise/ taste wise compensation if you reduce ghee.
• If your halwa is sticky, then you need to add more ghee and keep stirring for a while again.
• The consistency will be perfect if you do the whole process in medium flame.
• After cooling down completely, the texture gets thickened a bit. So be patient till it cools down. If you find it still sticky, then you can always stir again in the pan and add more ghee to get the right consistency!

After cooling, the halwa will be non sticky, and you can store in a container and refrigerate. Will be good for 4-5 days. You can also pack as single servings in butter papers  we get in few sweet stalls. Also you can keep as such in a container and spoon required halwa. Heavenly sweet!

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   This is also one of the recipe I clicked when I was in my home at Chennai. My MIL’s special. She made it and I just clicked it. I helped only in removing the kernels from the cob. You can try this for evening snack. Its so easy to make and healthy snack for the evening. Skip onions if you dont want to add onion for festivals like navaratri.

Sweet corn sundal recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Breakfast
Prep Time: 15 mins    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Serves: 3

Ingredients

Sweet corn	1
Onion (Skip when made for navratri)	1
Carrot	1
Coconut grated	1/2 cup
Salt	As needed
Coriander leaves	1 sprig

 

To temper

Oil	2 tsp
Mustard	3/4 tsp
urad dal	1 tsp
Dry red chilli	2
Asafoetida	2 pinches
Curry leaves	1 sprig

 

Cooking Corn :
    Microwave corn without removing the husk (green skin) for 3-4 minutes in high. Turn once in between to ensure even cooking. Let it cool and remove the kernels. You can cook by stove top method, your way too.

Method

1. Chop onions,carrots finely.Heat a kadai/pan and temper with the items given under “To temper” table. Add onion, fry till transparent and then add the carrot and fry for a minute. Add the cooked corn kernels, required salt. Stir well.
2. Let it be in low flame for 2-3 minutes and stir in between. Lastly add the grated coconut and mix well for 1/2 minute.

You can garnish with coriander leaves and 3/4 tsp of coconut oil for extra flavour!

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RAW JACKFRUIT CURRY (UNRIPE/TENDER JACKFRUIT)

         
    Raw Jackfruit(unripe,young) is edible? I never knew that until my MIL cooked once after marriage. I loved it the very first time when she made curry with it. I don’t know any recipes with raw jackfruit other than this, but love it a lot. The texture is so different and I love it. The cleaning process is bit messy and tedious. But everything is worth to have this curry. My MIL made this curry when I was there in Chennai last week and I clicked to post this recipe here. We call the raw jackfruit in tamil as ‘pala mouse’ . We got it fresh from the tree from Karaikudi Mami’s house.They also picked a sweetest ripe jackfruit and it was as sweet as honey! We made curry with half of this raw jackfruit and kootu with the other half. The unripe jackfruit should be young and tender to make a delicious dish. We do get this cleaned and cut in Singapore. But sure, nothing can beat the backyard garden picked fresh one. 
   The recipe is similar to my raw banana curry, only a little bit different.

Ingredients

Raw jackfruit(young,small,tender)	1/2
Onion	1
Turmeric	1/4 tsp
Salt	As needed

 

To grind

Coconut	3 tblsp
Coriander seeds	1 & 1/2 tbslp
Pepper	1 tsp
Jeera	1 tsp
Red chilli	2
Garlic	2

 

To temper

Oil	2 tblsp
Mustard	1 tsp
Urad dal	1 tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig

 

Method

Before touching the raw jackfruit, spread 2-3 news papers, grease both your hands with generous sesame oil or use gloves. Grease the knife too with oil. This is because when we cut the  veggie, it will leave a ‘milk like’ thing which is so sticky. And it leaves stains as well. So prevent the floor, your dress and everything from it. Half the veggie like this. Then cut one of the half into big pieces and remove the thorny green skin part as shown. Remove the centre stalk too(thick part) and chop into small pieces. Keep ready, a bowl of water with buttermilk to immerse the chopped veggie. You can also use the drained water we washed the rice (kahzhani). Boil water with salt an turmeric and cook the finely chopped veggie until soft. Will take roughly 15 minutes. Mean while,grind the ingredients under to grind table with little bit of water,to a fine paste. Drain the water and keep aside. Heat kadai with oil an temper with the items given under ‘To temper’ table. Add onions and fry till transparent. Mix the ground paste with the cooked raw jackfruit along with salt. Add it to the kadai and fry well. Keep in medium flame to ensure the curry gets roasted evenly and mix now and then. This may take some time. Say 15 minutes.

        Transfer to the serving bowl and serve as accompaniment for sambar/rasam/more kuzhambu. Do try this different veggie, you would love it!

Notes

Grease your hands frequently while you are cleaning/cutting the veggie. Choose small, young and tender raw jackfruit. It tastes great. Bigger ones take long time to cook. You can add more oil at the end when you are roasting to make it turn golden. Add a tsp of coconut oil at the end to get a great flavor!

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