Milagu Vada / Anjaneyar Vada

This Milagu Vada is generally made for Hanuman Jayanthi or whenever you want to offer a vada malai for Hanuman. Hence it is popularly known as Hanuman Vada or Anjaneyar Vada. The following recipe makes around 12 vadas.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Urad dal
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 3 tsp Ghee
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Water (Use as required)

Method

1. Dry grind the Urad dal and black pepper into a coarse powder.
2. Add the ghee and salt to the ground mixture and form a soft but firm dough by adding water little by little as required.
3. Heat oil in a wok and make small balls of the dough.
4. Flatten each on your palm (or a greased plastic sheet on your palm) and make a small hole at the center and fry them in oil. If the dough is too firm and breaks when you try to flatten it, add little more water and try again.
5. The Vadas are ready to be offered to Lord Hanuman.

Pongal Kootu

Happy Pongal!! This is a must have item in the menu on Pongal day.

Ingredients

• Mixed Vegetables cut into cubes- (Ash guard, Pumpkin, Carrot, Beans, Avaraikkai, Potato, Raw Banana, Chayote, Sweet potato, Green peas, Lima beans, Yam)
• Toor Dal (cooked) - 1/2 cup
• Tamarind Paste - 1 tbsp
• Salt - 1 tbsp (Adjust to taste)
• Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
• Gingelly Oil (Any cooking oil will do) - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Sambar Powder - 2 tsp
• A spring of Curry leaves

To Grind

• Urad dal - 1 tbsp
• Daniya - 2 tbsp
• Channa dal - 1 tbsp
• Red Chillies - 6
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Method

1. Cook all the vegetables with turmeric and a little water in the pressure cooker for 1 whistle.
2. Dry roast all the ingredients to grind and grind them with water.
3. Take a deep bottomed pan and add the oil and mustard seeds till they crackle.
4. Add the vegetables and the ground mixture, toor dal, sambar powder, salt and tamarind and boil the Kootu for a few minutes till the flavor seeps into the veggies.
5. Garnish with curry leaves and serve hot with rice or Pongal.