UZHUNNU VADA/MEDU VADA

INGREDIENTS:

Urad dal / Uzhunnu - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 5-6 finely chopped
Ginger - 1 small piece finely chopped
Pearl Onions - 3-4 finely chopped (optional)
Curry Leaves - 1-2 strands finely chopped
Peppercorns - 10-15 nos
Oil - for frying
Salt - to taste
Water

LET'S COOK:

• Soak the urad dal/uzhunnu for 4 - 5 hours and grind to a thick batter adding only a small amount of water.
• Add green chillies, ginger, pearl onion, curry leaves, peppercorns and salt to the thick batter and mix well.
• Keep the batter aside for an hour.
• Heat oil in a deep dish pan. Drop a pinch of batter in the oil and if it rises as soon as it is dropped that means the oil is hot enough to make the vada.
• Wet your hand with some cold water and take a medium size serving of batter. Role the batter into a ball and make a hole in the center with your finger and drop it in the oil immediately after. The stove should be on medium flame otherwise the vada will get burned without getting cooked.
• Fry the vada until it turns golden brown and serve hot with coconut or coriander chutney.

TAPIOCA MASALA/KAPPA PUZHUKE

INGREDIENTS:

Raw Tapioca/Kappa - 1kg
Coconut - 1.5 cup
Green Chilies - 5-6
Garlic - 1 big piece
Pearl onions - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1tbsp
Dry red chilies - 3
Curry leaves - 1 strand
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Water 
Salt to taste

LET'S COOK:

• Cook tapioca in boiling water with salt. This will take 15-25 min. Once its cooked, drain the water.
• Grind coconut, garlic, green chilies, pearl onions and turmeric powder with little water into a fine paste.
• Heat oil in a deep bottomed pan and add mustard. When it sputters, add dry red chilies and curry leaves.
• Now add the coconut paste and saute them for 2-3 min until the raw smell is gone.
• Add the cooked tapioca/kappa and mix well. Add some water if you don't want the final product to be dry.
• Once everything is mixed well switch off the heat and serve hot.
• The final product should be a festival for your senses!

BANANA WALNUT BREAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 ripe large bananas mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

LET'S COOK:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) . Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside.

2. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

  

3. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.)

4. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until bread is golden brown and a  toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to60 minutes.

5. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread can be frozen.

WHEAT / GOTHANBE DOSA

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup wheat flour

2 cups or more water

6-7  green chillies chopped

½ - 1 cup chopped onion

1 tbsp mustard seeds

Salt

Oil

LET'S COOK :

1. Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add green chillies & chopped onion and sauté until onion turns light brown.

2. Mix wheat flour, salt and water to make a batter. Add the green chillies & onion to the batter and mix well.

                         
























3. Heat the dosa pan & spread the batter like regular dosa. Cover the dosa and let it stand till the dosa is cooked. Before flipping the dosa sprinkle a few drops of oil on the dosa and turn it. This is done so that the dosa does not become too dry.

SABUDANA / TAPIOCA KHICHDI

INGREDIENTS :

1 cup soaked sabudana – To make sure that the sabudana does not stick together when cooked, drain completely and keep aside for 3-4 hours

2 green chillies chopped

¼ tsp cumin powder

1 cup peeled & roasted peanut - Crushed

1 tspn lemon juice

2-3 tbsp coriander leaves chopped

1 potato cut into small cubes and boiled

Few Curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp Oil


LET'S COOK:

1. Heat oil and add 1 teaspoon of mustard. When it starts to splutter add curry leaves & soaked sabudana.

2. Cook the sabudana until it becomes transparent. At this stage add cumin powder, green chillies and potato (Cooked). Sauté for 2 mins.

3. Add crushed peanut, coriander leaves and lemon juice.Mix well and serve hot.

CHIRATTA PUTTU

I usually get very nostalgic whenever I eat puttu. I miss all the combinations we used to have - Puttu with Red Gram (Payar) curry and Pappadum - Puttu with bananas (Pazham) - Puttu with Black Chick Pea (Kadala) curry - Puttu with Egg curry and so on...

When I made Puttu for the first time it was a disaster. The problem was that I did not know the required consistency for the Puttu mix. Every time I would take the Puttu out of the mould it would collapse. When I took my sob-story to my mom and MiL they gave me the secret for making great Puttu. Want to know more – Read on.

INGREDIENTS:
Rice flour / Readymade Puttu Powder – 3 cups

Salt

Water


LET'S COOK:

1.      Here I used ready-made Puttu powder which is easily available in any Indian store. Add salt as needed. Sprinkle water into the powder. To check if the powder has attained the right consistency, make small balls with the flour. If it holds shape, the flour is ready.

                   

                                                                                                                                           

2.      In the mould spread a layer of coconut first then alternate layers of rice flour and coconut. Top off the Puttu with a layer of coconut on top.

                                                                          

                                                                                          

                                                                         

3.      Steam the flour for about 10 mins and the Puttu is ready to serve. Best eaten with black chickpea curry(kadala curry)