How to make Green Chutney for Chaats and sandwiches ~ Jain style - no onion no garlic version

Green Chutney is one of the most used chutneys (preserves) for chaats and sandwiches alike, and I always found myself wanting that perfect chutney while making these at home. I don't quite prefer the Onion-Garlic version that is usually made, and my search for something saatvic landed me on this recipe that I had bookmarked some time ago. This chutney is made more interesting because it uses dalia (Pottu kadalai / Hurigadale / Fried gram) and we all liked the nutty taste a lot and keeps for 2 weeks under refreigeration. You may also make this in bulk for work ahead on instant chaats and sandwiches when hunger strikes.

A 100-day Global Food Festival ,and also inviting Guest hosts for future editions of MMK

My Mother's Kitchen is a series of food festivals held at this space which had One Pot Meals, Indian Mithai Mela , Fasting Foods in the last 3 editions. It now opens up its 4th edition with a 100-day Global Food Festival. Starting Sep 20th (tomorrow) , this runs through the remaining days of the year, all through Dec 31st 2011.  So, read on for more details...

Also, starting Jan 2012 , this series (MMK) is also open to hosting from other bloggers - do check out more details at the end of this post. The slots shall be alloted on a first come first serve basis to those bloggers fulfilling some criterion.

Firstly, why the Global Food Festival ??


American playwright and humourist Mark Twain said :

India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grand mother of tradition,

From the land of snake charmers and the great Indian Rope Trick, today the Global Indian is a name to reckon with - we carry our rich Indian heritage everywhere we go, but we also enjoy the local culture and celebrate with local food !!


So, here's inviting all you foodies to a 3 month long Global Food Festival right here at this space - Sizzling Tastebuds . In Sanskrit, there is a term - "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - the world is your family. So, the entire world is your family , and this is one HUGE, 100 day event to eat, celebrate food from around the world. As you dish out these delicacies / glocal (global+local) food in your kitchens, do send them across to this event - truly a global village for a virtual potluck :-)


What comprises Global Food ??


Speciality Coffees, Pestos and Dips, English teas ,Simple & Grilled Sandwiches, Wraps  & Rolls, Burgers, Mocktails, French breads, Hummus and Pita, Cheese Fondue, Pan fried Noodles, Egyptian Falafel, Vegetarian Sushi, Mexican Enchiladas, Indianised Chowmein, Basil Bruschetta, Thai Green Curry, Steamed Momos, Orange Creme Brulee, Tiramisu, Chocolate Cheese Cake, Hot and sour Black bean soup . Whew !!  The options are endless, even for a vegetarian. So, get out your woks, bamboo steamers, cake pans, dessert menus for a truly International food festival . In other words, simply think global - all food outside India :-)


How do I send my entries ??


As always, a short reminder of the rules on how you can send your entries:


1) Link your dish (vegetarian only, eggs may be used for baking) to this event announcement along with the LOGO above to the link at the end of this post OR send me an email titled Global Food Festival to momchef77(at)gmail(dot)com
2) Categorise your entry as Appetiser / Main Course / Side Dishes / Desserts and include the details in your post.
3) Please attach a picture (max 400 pixel) to the entry if mailing me the entries.
4) Entries are to be sent between 20th Sep & 31st Dec 2011 (closing - Pacific time)
5) Usage of the logo would be highly appreciated to spread the word.
6) Fresh entries are highly appreciated while you may re-post and link a max of 2 archived entries.
7) In case the linky tool does not work for some reason, be sure you pass me your recipe via email.
Let's celebrate this festival with much fervour and look forward to your participation over the next 100 days !!

How do I host further editions of MMK at my blog ??

1. Mail me your interest at momchef77@gmail.com and we shall discuss a couple of themes which you can pick and choose on a first-come basis.
2. The basic criterion to guest host is that your blog be atleast 9 - 12 months old and that you have atleast 50 listed followers as on Sep 20th (the event launch date) : This is to ensure that the event garners maximum mileage for your blog :-)

Looking forward to hearing from you all,

Cheers

Kalyani Momchef

Roundup of HLI - Carrots

HLI (Healthy Lunchbox Ideas) is a series which has seen grow from strength to strength. Each month we experiment with dishes using one central ingredient that kids are not fond of, and try to make them more attractive, palatable & healthy. Hosted by my dearest blogger friends, we have had in the past 3 editions HLI Brocolli, HLI Paneer and the present round up of HLI Carrots. This month edition - HLI Dates - is now being hosted @ Aarthi's space - check it out.

I am also on the look out for future hosts for this event post May 2012 as slots till then are booked out.

Today, I present the round up of HLI Carrots that was hosted at my space - Sizzling Tastebuds. Carrot rice seems to be a popular dish using carrots, with more than 5 - 6 varieties of Carrot Rice sent to this event. Enjoy these 20 healthy treats with Carrots.

Thanks to all blogger friends for sending their entries. In order of reciept, the entries are...

1. Meena's Quick Carrot Rice
2. Carrot Basil Bruschetta from Krithi
3. Shilpa's yummy Carrot n Capsicum Idli  

4. Pradnya's Oats n Carrot Cake

 

5. Shireen is celebrating I-Day with Tri colour rice  

6. Aarthi's Carrot Almond Kheer is tasty and healthy 

7. My all favourite aloo tikki has an unusual with Khushi's Carrot n Aloo Tikki
8. Health meter is ringing high with Nirmala's Pomogranate n Carrot Salad  

9. Priya's Carrot - Basil fried rice makes a quick lunchbox idea

10. Go for the twist with Priya's unique Yellow peas & Carrot Sundal
11. A healthy One Pot meal is presented with Sangee's Carrot Khichdi
12. Picnics made more fun with Sangee's Carrot Kati Roll
 

13. Amy's Quick Carrot Rice is easy on the tummy ! 

14. Krithika's Carrot Rice makes for a healthy meal 

15. Archana's super quick and healthy Carrot Salad is my favourite too

From  my own kitchen @ Sizzling Tastebuds, come these delights:

16. Healthy Carrot n Panner Bonda and whats more , its no fry too ! 

17. Carrot - Garlic Chutney 

18. Low Fat Carrot n Feta Sandwiches makes for a quick n healthy protein - carb combo 

19. Eggless Carrot n Raisin Muffins - now could muffins get any better ?? 

20. Carrot Kosambari (Raw Carrot salad) 

Tendli Stir fry with Garlic ~ Kovakkai Poriyal ~ Tendli Sabji ~ Thondekaayi Palya

One of the quickest and healthiest part of the Indian food is the dry sabjis or stir fry. My family loves stir fries and I love making it too because is filling, quick to make and can be assembled for rushed mornings while packing lunchboxes - if one is well prepared with pre-cut veggies, the morning is a breeze, and today I made one of my favourites - Tendli Stir fry with Garlic. The garlic was more an after thought but we all quite enjoyed it, although S midly suggested that evenings are more the time for experimenting with garlicky smells rather than lunchbox options. Point taken, dear husband. Its an easy stir fry, and I hope you will also like it. Goes well with rasam rice and is a superb combo with Roti & Hingwali Mili Jhuli dal

Baked Samosa for Blog Hop Wednesdays

Time has just flown by and its time for another edition of Blog Hop Wednesdays. It is a wonderful concept where you are paired with a new blogger every week and I had made Bharwa Bhindi (Jain Style), Sugarfree Fruit Ginger Mocktail  & Aama Vadai (Paruppu Vadai) for the last 3 editions adapted from the paired blogger friends. 

This week, I was paired with Suchitra of Simple Indian Food. Suchitra's blog is truly exhaustive, and I like her menu card a lot - neatly categorised layout and easy to look up : something I want to bring up on my space soon !! Coming to today's post, I adapted her post on Samosa and made it yesterday for an afternoon snack with a predeominantly Sweet potato filling. I am not really fond of deep fried food, so I baked it and was pleasantly pleased with myself. It may not taste the same as deep fried ones because of the absence of zillions of fat laden calories, but the verdict at home was that Baked Samosa was welcome anytime. You can make these prior to any party too, and just toss it in the OTG to bake before serving. As I was running behind schedule last evening, I used readymade samosa pattis for the covering, but go ahead and make the covering at home too.  Off to the recipe, shall we ?

Update: Sending this to Archana's event - Fast food but not fried food, started by Priya and also Susan's BWW

Cream Custard ~ Cream & Fruit Pudding with Custard

I was introduced to custard way back in my childhood by my aunt who lived opposite us. She was an excellent cook, and I always looked forward to her homemade jams, jellies and fruit custard. She had lived in Africa for many years, and even brought back an OTG (Oven Toaster Grill) that dished out other amazing delights like eggless cookies etc that had us in awe way back in the '80s, when baking at home was unheard of in most households. To cut a long story short, when I first started cooking, one of the many desserts was to make custard using Brown and Polson ready made mix. Today's dish Cream Custard is an adaptation of the orignal fruit custard and uses any leftover fruits like the Mango Custard with honey  or the Fruit Chaat. This recipe uses cream and condensed milk in abundance, so much so it tastes almost like the Indian delight Rabdi. I hope you also would enjoy making this at home for a quick dessert as much as enjoyed this after a lazy Sunday brunch ! Top it wit vanilla / butter scotch ice cream, and you have a party winner at hand... Let's get on to the recipe now..

Rasam Powder - Mysore Style ~ Spice powder for making Rasam in Mysore Style : An heirloom recipe

Even after marriage and moving to Mumbai, I considered it my privilege to use only my mom's spice powders that I used to lug back every 6 months from Bangalore : Spice powders are something that remind you of home, even 1000s of miles away - a unique comforting aroma that wafts from sambhar or rasam when home made spice powders go into it. As a child, I used to watch grandmom and mom make this, and although paati (my grandmom) kept telling me repeatedly to get the proportions for any spice powder right as it would be help me after getting married and moving away , like most teenagers I didnt pay too much attention. In fact took it all for granted, when one fine day last week, i discovered that my rasam powder was over, and I didnt have any backup left. 

Semiya Upma ~ Vermicilli Upma

After weeks of slaving on the stove to make delicacies for festivals/ events, not to mentions loads of hours spent on kiddo's school projects (!), I decided to take it easy to blog something simple, healthy and filling:-) But just when I sat down to do so, my camera gave way and while I am hoping it would spring back soon, I had a few pix taken earlier which were stashed away for no reason in a folder on my laptop. And when I saw pics of Semiya Upma (Vermicilli upma), I was like its so simple, why should I blog this? Everyone knows about it :-) But then another thought dominated that and asked why shouldn't I post this ? And so, here am I, with a quick version of Semiya upma filled with veggies - and this dish makes its way to Radhika's event on Scrumptious Breakfasts as well as Nayna's South Indian Flavours. The procedure is pretty similar to making normal Veg Upma with Sooji or Lapsi upma. But I like this with crispy tossed capsicum and slightly caramelised onions , and is a wonderful option for school lunchboxes too !

Lets get on to the recipe, shall we ?

Uppu Seedai for Krishna Jayanthi - a different variant & Step by Step recipe

First - the disclaimer : This post is long overdue as Gokulashtami has passed by us a fortnight ago. However, I had made this along with Choco Coconut Ladoos for Krishna Jayanthi and although I clicked the pix, was unable to post them. So, here they come. I have made this differently WITHOUT using Urad dal due to two reasons - this dish came about at the last minute , and almost thought this year's festival would go by without making it at all. Secondly, I love the Karnataka way of making Seedai - with fried gram flour and maida mix. So, enjoy this variant of Uppu Seedai.

Take your pick | Shots for Black & White Wednesdays by Susan

Happy to send in my b/w shots for Susan's Black & White Wednesdays.. This is a peek from my cookie cutter box, where the ever popular heart shapes jostles for space amongst others in a box, and come together in this post themed "Take your pick"

Choco Coconut Ladoo

When I first saw Priya's Choco coconut ladoos, I wasnt sure I would make it immediately, and so bookmarked it. But some recipes stay in your mind forever, and this is one of them. For Gokulashtami (Janmashtami), I wanted to post this recipe, and although I made it, couldnt get around to do so. So, am posting it now. This is truly one of the quick desserts that you can put together for unexpected guests, kids' birthday parties. potluck parties or even for festivals. I slightly tweaked the recipe by adding powdered nuts, a little cocoa powder and some grated chocolate, and that gave a wonderful twist to the dessert. This is almost cook free, and apart from 2- 3 mins in the microwave, there is just no cooking too. 
Sending this to Healing foods – Coconuts @ Saffronstreaks, event by Siri

Other ladoos you might like: Ragi Besan Ladoo, Til Ka Ladoo

First guest post on this blog by Vardhini, and a yummy Poli recipe by her :-)

Happy to present the first edition of guestposts for my blog - Sizzling Tastebuds.. When I first thought of this, I was sceptical to be frank, for my blog was just 6 months old, and didnt have too many blogger friends to reach out at first. But thanks to many wonderful friends that I met through events, blog hops, blogging marathons, roundups, I eventually summed up courage to ask a newbie blogger - Vardhini of Zesty Palette. 

Although a new entrant to the blogosphere, Vardhini needs no introduction. Hercooking techniques intrigued me lot, and with both our families having similar palates and taste preferences (low fat/zero fry/veggie-loaded dishes etc), I took this opportunity to ask her out to do a guest post. When she agreed, I was thrilled to bits, and the following guestpost shows her committment to the same... 

Thanks Vardhini :-)

So, without any more talking from my end, lets get on to her post today of a simply yummy festive delight - Polis. I am sure, like all her posts with step by step cooking, this too willl linger long in your minds and palates too :-)

The following lines from here on would be Vardhini's --- reproduced verbatim from the guest post she sent me... Read on for a yummy delight :-)

Simple Vegetable Upma ~ Savoury Cream of Wheat Upma

There are very few Upma loving persons in this world , and I am happy to be one of its fans .. Now, this is a dichotomy : because its really really simple to make (at the same time can turn mushy / hateworthy if not made well !!) For some strange reason, people are both sceptical of making it or eating this - even relegating it to the 'forever hate list' category. But me ? Nada. Nope. My mom says that even if I was to be drop dead tired to eat or cook anything, the first thing I would think of is Upma. For me to like it so much, the credit has to go to her - got used to eating this so often since childhood, that i never thought this as 'hateable' (is that a word??!!).. Interestingly, Wikipedia tells me that the general name of the dish in most languages is formed from two words : salt and flour. E.g., In Tamil, the two words uppu (உப்பு) + maa(vu) (மா(வு) form upmaa(vu).

Anyways, I remember S teasing me that when he came down to my house as part of the 'see the bride' ritual before the wedding, my mom had made this along with Semiya Payasam  (Sevai Kheer) --both of which he didn't quite prefer- .So he called it 'double torture' :-) It was only later that I realised that the "double" included meeting the prospective bride ;) he he !! LOL !! But who was to know that Upma would be rendered world famous as in the recent past, thanks to MasterChef , by a Mumbai born chef Floyd Cardoz !! Now, that's global cuisine coming of age !

Karjikaayi ~ Karigadubu ~ Jaggery Coconut fritters for Ganesh Chaturthi

Vakrathunda Mahaakaaya Koti Soorya Samaprabha |  

Nirvighnam Kurumedeva Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvadaa ||

Wishing all my readers a happy Ganesh Chaturthi. It is one of the top 8 - 10 festivals in India, and it celebrated with much fervour, throughout South India and Western India.

Wikipedia tells me that "Ganesha Chaturthi (Devanagari: गणेश चतुर्थी, Tamil: விநாயகர் சதுர்த்தி Kannada: ಗಣೇಶ ಚತುರ್ಥೀ), also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is the Hindu festival of Ganesha also called Vinayagar in South India, the son of Shiva and Parvati, who is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees in the duration of this festival. It is the day Shiva declared his elder son Ganesha as superior to all the gods. Ganesha is widely worshipped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune and traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel.The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between 20 August and 15 September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period). While celebrated all over India, it is most elaborate in western and southern India. Outside India, it is celebrated widely in Nepal and by Hindus in the United States, Canada and Fiji."

Aama Vadai ~ Paruppu Vadai ~ Spiced lentil fritters ~ Dal Vada - a step by step recipe

Today is the 3rd week of Bloghop wednesdays, and I am excited as I am paired with Radhika - her blog is fiull of interesting dishes, and I am sure I would try out some authentic Chettinad favourites which I have bookmarked here. Today's post comes with a small variation from her version of Masala Vadai, where in I didnt use fennel or onion. So, may be you can call it Aam Vadai (as it is called in Karnataka) or Paruppu Vadai (Tamil) . For the people from the rest of the country, it goes by the name of Dal Wada (or Dal Vada)... I used to love this more than the Medu Vadai (Urad Dal Vada) and the reason is - its spicy by itself, and doesnt even need chutney to go with :-) Although we deep fry very rarely at home, its good to indulge once in a while , for who doesn't like fried food, right?

And its my favourite too :-) My childhood memory is of having this with Semiya Kheer (Vermicilli Payasam).. My mom / grandmom used to make this often for most festivals, and some how, I used to love dunking one or two vadais in the payasam bit by bit and savour the spicy sweetness....

Sending this to :

• Radhika's Bloghop Wednesdays
• Nayna's Flavours of South India
• Sukanya's Monsoon Medley
• My favourite dish by Sreevalli 

This also goes to my own event : Vrat Ka Khaana (Fasting Foods) as we make it on festival days too while the B/w photographs go to Susan's Black and White wednesdays

I have captured a step by step version of this, although I really wanted a final shot of this with the masala chai, but they disappeared before I could say ....errr.. cheese :D.. anyways, I  hope you would make this at home and hey, do preserve one vadai for me too ! Off to the recipe now, shall we....



Prep time : 20 mins (apart from soaking) . Makes : 20 - 25 medium sized Vadais

Ingredients:

• Kadalai Paruppu / Channa Dal  - 2 cups
• Tuvaram Paruppu / Toor Dal - a handful
• Red chillies - 4 to 6 (not Kashmiri Variety) - adjust spice
• Salt - to taste
• Ginger grated - 2 tsp
• Grated coconut - 3 TBSP (optional but recommended)
• Turmeric - a dash
• Coriander and curry leaves
• Oil - to deep fry

Method:
1) Wash and soak the dals separately with the red chillies for 45 mins - 1 hr.
2) Drain completely.

3) Now keeping aside a handful or two of the soaked dal, grind the rest of the dals with turmeric, grated coconut, ginger, chillies to a coarse paste without ANY water. Remove to a bowl.

3) Now to the pulsed paste, add the whole soaked dals, salt, coriander and curry leaves and mix well. Do not add water at any stage, except while soaking as the vadais will go runny as well as absorb extra oil.

4) Cover the lentil dough with cling wrap and refrigerate for a max of 20 mins (this helps me every time as the salt coagulates under refrigeration and the vadais turn very crispy).
5) Divide into equal lemon sized balls and pat gently into a small patty. Makes 20- 25 approx. Heat the oil meanwhile for frying.

6) To check if the oil is hot, pinch out a small dough into the oil. If it rises to the top immediately, it is ready.
7) Move the flame to medium-high now, and slide the vadais in batches. Fry on this heat only for perfect vadais.
8) Serve hot with a cup of tea or as part of a South indian Thali .


TIP : If you are making vadais for a party , and need to refry them again just before serving, fry it on low heat once. Remove on a tissue paper. Cool in a glass / stainless steel vessel with a light tissue paper. Re-fry again jsut before serving on medium-high heat just before serving and you have crispy munchies :-)

Poha Idli

This is a healthy, easy to make dish that I got from Tarla Dalal's recipe here that I had bookmarked some months ago. I was first amazed to see that poha was used in Idlis too (as we generally use it in Set dosa etc). But trust me, this reduced the Urad dal dependance a lot, as also was light and fluffy. I slightly tweaked the recipe by adding 3 handfuls of rolled Oats too, and the taste was very very similar to the normal Idlis that we make with rice and Urad dal. This is also great for weight watchers as the rice quantity is greatly reduced, and diabetics also can have 2 - 3 of this for their normal brekafast as Oats reduces the glycemic content quite sharply.

Palak Paneer Parathas with Tomato Chilli Relish

Two weeks of Blogging Marathon ends today, and am very excited to have been part of this event !! Today's post came about as I was thinking how to make something new and special for kiddo's lunchbox : When I opened my refrigerator this morning, both palak (spinach) and paneer (Cottage cheese) caught my eye. And then I remembered kiddo prefers not to have gravy in her lunchbox (for no matter how careful you put in the gravy, its bound to spill out and ruin the bag right?) This healthy breakfast is totally mess free and is loaded with the goodness from both Palak and Paneer. 

Can't get easier and healthier right ? 

Update : Sending this to Vardhini’s Cooking with Whole Foods – Spinach, event by Kiran

Paruppu Podi ~ Mixed Lentils Spice Powder

Necessity is the mother of Invention .Truly applies in a kitchen , where all elements of a typical corporate world - Supply chain, inventory management, housekeeping, human resources, budgets, planning, entertainment, resource allocation - all happen simultaneously and endlessly !! One of these days, when we were tired of making sabjis, and wanted to have something quick, I thought of making Paruppu Podi (mixed lentils spice powder).. While Molagapudi / Molagapodi (accompaniment to Idli / Dosa) is used with Idlis or Dosas , Karivepalai Podi ~ Curry leaf Spice Powder and Paruppu Podi tastes divine with plain steamed rice and a drop of sesame oil (for kids, you could use ghee / clarified butter). I make this podi (spice powder) in small batches always , to ensure it stays fresh.. This is a very easy recipe and goes to the following events, apart from Blogging Marathon (Day 6) under "Cook with 5 ingredients or less" theme. Checkout my fellow marathoners here.

• Susan's MLLA hosted by Preeti
• South Indian flavours by Nayna
• Condiment Mela by Valli
• Jaya's Back to basics - Spice powders - event

Katrikkai Pachadi ~ Eggplant Raitha

Need a super healthy, iron and calcium rich, quick to make dish ? Look no further - Presenting Katrikkai Pachadi (Eggplant Raitha / Baingan Raitha). This is one of our family's favourite and goes great with Vangibhath or even hot rice.. I am presenting my mom's version here. Hope you would also like it . Only important point to note is that use firm brinjals, especially one with very less seeds. 


Update : Sending this to HLI - Brinjal, hosted @ Priya's Blog, event by me(Sizzling Tastebuds)


Sending this to Blogging Marathon - Day 5 for Week 2 under "Cooking under 5 ingredients" or less as also Valli's Condiment Mela and Nayna's Southindian flavours This is an excellent side dish for Molagu Kozhambu + Rice combo (Rice with Pepper Tangy curry). Check my friends from BM here.

Other Raithas you can may like:

• Pudina Curd Raitha

• Alu Raitha  / Potato Raitha

Prep time : 10 mins. Cooking time : 15 mins. Serves : 3

Ingredients:

• Firm brinjals (round variety - purple) - 4 nos (medium sized) or 1 no - very large
• Thick slightly sour curd / yoghurt - 2 cups
• Grated Coconut - 2 TBSP
• Salt - to taste
• Tempering : Oil (1 tsp) + cumin seeds (1 tsp) + curry leaves + 1 chilly(opt.)

Method:

1) Wash and quarter the brinjals. Sprinkle a dash of salt and place in a colander / steamer in a cooker. Steam for 1 whistle. Cool.

2) Whisk yoghurt well with a wire whisk free of all lumps.

3) Take the brinjals from the cooker / steamer and deseed completey. Fluff very very lightly with a fork. Take care not to turn the brinjals mushy.

4) Now, prepare the tempering by spluttering cumin and curry leaves and chillies and add it to the curd. Now add the fluffed brinjal and mix very lightly only once. Adjust salt and other seasonings (garnish). Mix coconut once more and serve immediately or chilled with any Pulav / Vangibhath / flavoured rice . Yum :)

Ginger Peanut Chutney

Two of my favourite ingredients coming together for an awesome chutney - now, it couldnt get better than this right ? And the best part is, no coconut too ! It went very well with Poha Idli (recipe coming soon!) and thus I added a new chutney to my menu too :-) Let's get quickly to this post - Ginger Peanut Chutney.  Sending this to Valli's Condiment Mela as well as BM Day 4 under "Cooking with 5 ingredients or less" theme along with Nayna's event - South Indian flavours.

See what my friends from BM are dishing out here.


Update : Sending this to Priya Mahadevan’s The Big Chutney Chowdown

This goes with any typical South Indian breakfast -  Idli / Set Dosa / Kanjivaram Idli / Rava Idli /Oats Dosa

Other Chutneys you might like ..

• Kariveppalai Thogayal ~ Tangy Curry leaf Chutney

• Healthy Carrot Garlic Chutney

• Mixed Veg Peel Chutney

• Inji Thogayal (Ginger Chutney)

Quick to make, it requires just 3 -4 ingredients, apart from the tempering of course. Let's make it then..

Ingredients:

• Ginger - 1 inch
• Green chilly - 1 no / Red chillies - 2
• Peanuts - 1/4 cup
• Fried gram / Pouttu kadalai - 2 tbsp (opt.)
• Salt to taste

• Tempering : Oil (1 tsp) + mustard seeds + curry leaves

Method :
1) In a pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and roast the peanuts well. Add the grated ginger and the chillies and fry once more. If using fried gram, turn off the stove and warm it a bit. Toss and cool.
2) First dry grind the mixture without any water. Add salt and 3 -5 TBSP of water and grind again to a smooth chutney.
3) Prepare the tempering with oil + mustard seeds + curry leaves and pour on the chutney.
4) Serve with any South Indian breakfast options listed above.. 

Instant Healthy Dhokla

Today is the 3rd day of BM with the theme - Cooking with 5 ingredients or less, and I present Instant Dhokla. Its a breeze to make this, and kids as well as adults will relish this. I haven't used chillies / ginger or even tempered this as I was making it for kids, but feel free to add in the same for a spicier version. This dish is as good for breakfast as it is for an evening snack too and a healthy appetiser : zero oil + baking combo doesnt get any healtheir ..

Lets get on with the recipe, shall we ? Sending this to Day 3 of Blogging Marathon as well as Radhika's Scrumptious breakfasts event and Srav's event on Appetisers.

Check out my friends from BM here.

Prep time : 10 mins. Cooking time : 20 mins. Makes : 8 - 10 medium sized cubes.

Ingredients:

• Gram flour / Besan - 1 cup
• Semolina / Suji - 2 tsp
• Eno salt - 1.5 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• oil - for greasing + coriander leaves for garnish.

Method:

1) Mix gramflour, semolina and water and make it to a batter of pouring consistency (Idli batter types)

2) Grease the plate to be used for steaming (Use flat Idli stand / dhokla stand).
3) Place the thali on a stand in the pressure cooker with adequate but not more water and heat the water.
4) Now add eno to the batter and mix it well.
5) Pour the batter immediately to the greased plate
6) Cover and steam on high flame without whistle for 13 - 17 mins till done
7) Cool and cut into desired shapes.
8) Mix sugar in 1/2 tsp of water till it dissolves. Apply this solution on the top of the cut pieces and garnish with coriander.

Optional topping : Temper with mustard seeds + curry leaves + asafoetida. Add grated coconut for garnish

An entry to Black n White Wednesdays by Susan

Susan is such a wonderful cook, host to many wonderful events including the famous MLLA event, which has a host lineup longer than one to the latest Michelin rated restaurant :-) I chanced to see her new and exciting event  - Black and White Wednesdays through some of the blogger posts, and was intrigued by the theme. You may check more details here. In my first lineup to her wonderful event, posting some b/w pics from my veggie basket. This series is titled "Curry in a hurry" - because I was doing exactly that-  cooking a curry in a hurry.. and these pics go to Susan's event this wednesday ... Hope you enjoy it as much as I did clicking them - vintage style ..

Payiru Sundal ~ Green gram steamed stir fry ~ Moong Dal Sundal

I have often wondered what the English equivalent of Sundal is .. (Sundal in Tamil / Husli in Kannada). While curries are generally used to denote anything between Sambhar, Rasam and Kootu even extending sometimes to Poriyals, can we also then define what a sundal is, in English?? May be my dear readers will enlighten me... Coming to today's post, I have made a very simple Payiru Sundal with green gram sprouts. This Sundal can be made even without sprouting too, but somehow these sprouts are very common in my family, even with kiddo liking some dishes made out of it (need to see how long this 'like sprouts' flavour lasts....)

Quick to make, the procedure for making this and other gram Sundals is almost the same, and 9 (nine) varieties of this is generally made as Naivedyam for the Goddess during each day of Navratri. Also Sending this to my own event - Fasting foods (Vrat Ka Khaana special) along with Blogging Marathon # 8 - week 2 under "Cook with 5 or less ingredients" theme as also Flavours of the South event You could also make this for a very healthy & filling evening snack.Let's get on to the recipe.... Check out my other blogging friends here. Other dishes using Moong Sprouts that might interest you are:

Krishna nee begane baaro... Happy Janmashtami to all !

Wishing all my readers a very happy Krishna Janmashtami.. While I just logged on after a longggg hectic day,shall post the recipes made for the naivedyam soon. Before sigining off, some pics from the event at my house this evening and a link to all those who love the eternal song - Krishna nee begane baro by Unnikrishnan.. unmatched, melody personified. Further for those spiritually inclined on the importance of celebrating Janmashtami, check this very interesting link here..

God bless all my readers with happiness and cheer all year long
Cheers,
Kalyani

Ragi Besan Ladoo ~ Finger Millet and fried gram flour ladoo

The 2nd week of blogging Marathon is here, and am excited to present this week under the theme- "Cooking with 5 ingredients or less" . For more details on how you can join BM and what my other friends are dishing out, click here. I must say BM is an addiction worth having :-) In the first of this new series, I present one lovely blog post adapted from Suma that I had been meaning to make for sooooo long, and finally it is here - Ragi Besan Ladoo.

Lemon Bittergourd pickle ~ Nimbu Karele ke aachaar

Can't believe how fast time flies - its the last day of the first week of BM. I truly enjoyed this "No Fire Cooking" .I am sure you also read with delight my previous 6 posts under this theme ---- Beetroot Peanut relish, Jaggery Poha ~ Sweet Flattened rice ~ Sihi Avalakki, Funny face Sandwich (Whole wheat Butter free Sandwich), Sugarfree Fruit Ginger Mocktail , Fruit Chaat with Honey and Nuts


Looking forward to tomorrow for the next week of BM under a new theme. Till then, presenting today's post - a tangy mouthwatering pickle that mom makes - Lemon Bittergourd Pickle (Nimbu Karela ke Aachaar). Of course, it needed tempering, but who was to wait that long ! Had this with some cooling curd rice and it was bliss !! The bitter gourd didnt taste bitter at all, and liberally spiced with Maa Inji (Mango Ginger), this was 7th heaven come to earth.. As I write this post, can't wait till dinner time, when another helping of this divine pickle becomes inevitable. This goes straight to : BM Day 7 along with Valli's Condiment Mela and Flavours of South event so, here goes the recipe...

You may also enjoy these pickles:

• Mixed vegetable Pickle (North Indian Style)
• Instant Mango Pickle
• Methi Sprouts Pickle

Prep time : 45 mins + pre-prep and soaking time. Makes : About 150 gms. Keeps well under refrigeration for 6 - 9 months.

Ingredients:

Lemons (ripe and juicy) - 12 nos - quartered or 1/8 pieces.
Lemon juice - 9 - 10 TBSP
Salt - to taste (approx 2 TBSP) - adjust to taste
Bitter gourd - 100 gms
Maa Inji (Mango ginger) - 100 gms

Masala ingredients (Please adjust to personal taste / preferences)

Red chilly powder - 4  tbsp (Kashmiri variety)
Red chilly powder - 2 tsp (khaaram / hot variety/ tikha lal)
Mustard powder - 1 TBSP
Methi powder - 2 TBSP

Method:
1) Wash and pat dry the lemons, mango ginger and bitter gourd.
2) Cut lemons into quarters or 1/8 (if using large size lemons). Lightly scrape bitter gourd and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Scrape, peel and cut manga Inji into small thin discs of 2 cm dia.
3) In a large DRY glass bowl, mix all the three ingredients. Now slowly add the masala powders one by one and with a DRY wooden spoon. Mix well.
4) Add salt to taste, and mix again. Keep covered for 3 - 4 days, stirring twice a day.
5) On the fourth day, add lemon juice and stir well. Transfer to a sterilised glass container or a ceramic container. Serve with curd rice.

Notes: 
1) For tempering : Sesame Oil - 4 TBSP. Mustard seeds - 1 TBSP, Asafoetida / hing - 1/4 tsp. Prepare the tempering. cool completely and then add to the pickle before serving.
2) For masala powders, ensure you dry roast the methi and mustard separately and cool them. Grind and store.

Round up - Part 2 of Indian Mithai Mela, and an award to the top three contributors

Happy to announce the second and final part of the round up of Indian Mithai Mela. You may check the first part here. Thanks to all my foodie friends for your participation. Also, a special appreciation to top three contributors to this mela and they deserve a special mention - check out the details at the end of this post.

Appreciate your time and also look forward to more and more of this to my Ongoing events too - Vrat ka Khaana (Fasting Foods / Festival specials) and Healthy Lunchbox Ideas with Carrots(ending Aug 31st).

Enjoy the round up :-)

Cheers,
Kalyani

Richa from Ambrosia gives us this delectable  Roti Chapati with ghee

Sangee Vijay has sent in three yummy entries : Malai Peda, Pineapple Peach Kesari & Suzhiyam

Renuka has sent in six yummilicious entries : Pistachio Rose Coconut Barfi , Doodh peda, Churma Ladoos, Rava Ladoos, Besan Ladoos, Puran Poli

Cooking Foodie has sent Amazing Gali Sev , also called Sukhi Sevaiya
Aparna has sent in my all time favourite - nankhatis
Shobhana from Jelly belly has shared this recipe for drool worthy Jalebis
Nandita from Paaka Shaale also celebrates her first blog anniversary with yummy mysore pak

Khushi of A Girl's Diary has sent in 4 amazing home made delicacies : Rasgulla, Malpua, Gujiya and Gulab Jamun

Akheela sends in a microwave version of Milk Peda
It's microwave time again with Usha's delicious Carrot Halwa
Sree valli sends us this uniquely shaped and tasty Mini Kajas
Pradnya sends in home made Mohanthal

Deepika Jain sends me three delicious entries - Badam Halwa, Chawal Aur Makhaane ka kheer and Rasmalai

I have linked all the entries received (and linked) to this event. In case of any discrepancy about non-linkage, please do get in touch with me, and I shall update ASAP. Please note that ONLY linked entries have been included in this roundup.

Now, for the special award:

Special thanks and a special award to my top contributors - Sukanya from Saffron Streaks, Renuka from Cumin and Cardamom and my dear friend Sangee who always supports me with a bunchful of delicious recipes for every event ! Thanks friends, without your support, this wouldn't be possible...Looking forward to a whole lot of new recipes for my present and future events too !! Thanks again :-) Please do accept a small recognition of your contribution enclosed here.