Kara Boondhi

Happy Diwali !!! 

Kara Boondi is my daughter's favorite and here is a simple recipe for it. Once you have all the ingredients ready, it will take only 30 min to make the snack.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Besan
• 1/4 cup Rice Flour
• 1 tsp Salt (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp Chilly Powder ( Adjust to Taste)
• 1 tsp Ghee
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
• Curry Leaves - handful
• 1/2 cup Peanuts
• Oil to deep fry

Utensils required: Big Perforated spoon with round holes for making the boondis, laddle and a perforated spoon to remove the boondis from oil.

Set Dosa (Sponge Dosa)

This is a popular dish of Karnataka. This dosa comes out so soft like a sponge that it is also called sponge dosa and it tastes great even when it is not hot.

Ingredients

• 4 Raw rice
• 1 cup Avil (Poha or beaten rice)
• 1/2 cup Urad dal
• 2 tsp Methi seeds
• 1 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a favorite dish among Indians. Pav is a type of bun and Bhaji is a spicy dish of mixed vegetables. You may add any vegetable of your liking in the Bhaji and if you don't eat Potatoes, you may swap it with Raw Bananas. If you add beetroot your bhaji will have a red colour as below so don't be intimidated by the colour!!

Ingredients:

• 2 Potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 cup Cauliflower florets
• 1 cup cut Mixed Vegetables (Carrots, beans, green peas, corn, sweet potato, beetroot)
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 2 Green Chilies 
• 1 tbsp finely chopped Ginger
• 2 Tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 Cardamom
• 6 Cloves
• 1 tsp Jeera
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
• 2" pieces of Cinnamon
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
• 1 tbsp Saunf
• 2 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp Sambar Powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (Adjust to taste)
• 1/4 cup chopped Coriander leaves
• Pav Buns (As required)

Method:

1. Pressure cook the mixed vegetables along with the cauliflower and potato for 3-4 whistles.
2. Heat a pan and add the butter, asafoetida, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and Jeera. When the jeera starts to crackle, add the ginger, green chillies and tomatoes and saute the tomatoes till it is cooked nicely to a pulp.
3. Add the cooked vegetables, turmeric, red chilly powder, saunf, kasuri methi, salt and sambar powder and mix well. Mash the vegetables as you stir and adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding water if required (This bhaji should be thick so don't add too much water) Cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes so that the tastes blend in well.
4. Switch off the stove and add the lemon juice and coriander and server hot with pav buns toasted with butter.

Sharkara Upperi / Sharkara Varatti

This is a sweet snack famous in Kerala and another inevitable part of a Kerala Sadya.

Ingredients

• 5 raw green plaintains (Nenthran kaai)
• 1 1/2 cups jaggery
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Dry Ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
• Oil to Deep fry
• 1 tbsp roasted Rice flour 
• 1 tbsp Sugar (Optional)

Method

1. Peel the Raw Bananas and soak them in water mixed with turmeric for around 10 min and then pat them dry.
2. Cut each of banana into half lengthwise and then into small pieces of 1/4" thickness.
3. Heat oil in a wok and carefully drop the pieces into the oil. Fry the pieces in batches till they are crisp and remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
4. Take a big pan and add the jaggery with 1/2 cup water and allow the mixture to boil. To check if it has reached the desired consistency, add a drop of the jaggery mixture in a bowl of cold water. You should be able to make a small ball from it without it melting into the water.
5. Add the cardamom and ginger powder and stir well. Then simmer the stove and add the fried banana pieces into it with continuous stirring. Once the chips are covered with jaggery, switch off and add the rice flour and sugar and mix well.
6. Transfer the mixture into a wide plate and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, transfer it to an air tight container and enjoy!!

Channa Masala

Protein rich chickpeas (channa) in tomato gravy makes a yummy side dish for chappatis / poori or batura.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Kabuli Channa (Chickpeas) 
• 1 Tomato
• 2 Cardamom
• 5 Cloves
• 1" piece Cinnamon
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 Tea bag
• 1 tsp Sambar powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp grated Ginger
• 2 green chillies (Adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Kasuri methi
• 1 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds (Saunf)
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Lemon juice (Optional and Adjust to taste)

Method

1. Wash and soak the channa for 6-8 hrs and then pressure cook it for 6 whistles along with the tea bag and salt and keep aside.
2. Grind the tomato, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, fennel seeds, ginger and green chillies and keep aside
3. Heat the pan and add the oil, bay leaf and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds crackle, add the ground mixture and cook it for a few minutes. Then add the cooked channa after squeezing and removing the tea bag. Add the Kasuri methi, turmeric, sambar powder and salt and allow it to cook for a few more minutes so that all the flavors blend in.
4. Remove the chole from fire and add the lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with roti/ poori/ batura/ rice.

Kunuku

This is a deep fried delicacy made at our homes especially when we are expecting a lot of guests. This recipe is easy to make and the Kunuku remains crispy and tasty even when it cools off. The ingredients are the same as Adai except that the Kunuku batter should be thick.

Ingredients

• 3 cups Idli Rice
• 1 cup Toor Dal
• 1 cup yellow Moong Dal
• 1 cup Channa Dal
• 15 Red Chillies (Adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
• 1 spring of Curry leaves chopped (Optional)
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Soak the Rice and Dals separately for 2-3 hrs.
2. Drain the Rice and grind it coarsely along with the Red chillies, Asafoetida and Salt and keep the ground mixture aside. Now drain and grind the soaked dals coarsely and mix it with the ground rice mixture. The Kunuku batter should be thick like the Paruppu vada batter. Add the chopped curry leaves to the batter and mix well.
3. Heat the oil in a Kadai. When the oil is hot, spoon the batter into the oil.
4. Once it turns golden brown, remove the Kunuku with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on a paper tissue.
5. Kunuku is ready to serve!

Omapodi

Omapodi or Sev as it is popularly known, is yummy to eat as it is, or with some chat or mixed in curd with some chat masala. This is my mom's recipe for Diwali.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Besan 
• 1/4 cup Rice flour
• 1 tsp Ajwain (Omam)
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• Oil to deep fry

Aval Vadai

If you are bored of making the same vada for all the festivals, then try this one next. It remains crisp even after it becomes cold.
 

Ingredients

• 2 cups Poha/ Aval/ Avallakki
• 1/2 cup Channa dal 
• 1 tbsp Toor Dal
• 4 Green chillies  
• 1" piece ginger 
• 1/4 tsp Asaofoetida
• 1 handful Coriander leaves chopped
• 1/2 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Wash and soak the channa dal and toor dal for 30 minutes.
2. Wash & soak the poha/Aval for 15 mins
3. Grind the dals along with green chillies and ginger, coarsely without adding much water. 
4. In a bowl, add the ground mixture, the soaked aval, coriander leaves, salt, asafoetida and mix everything well to form a dough.
5. Heat oil in a wok /kadai for deep frying.
6. Make small balls and flatten them and fry till golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on a tissue paper.

Homemade Chocolates

My mom always made these for our birthdays and we all used to love it because we can get to eat more. Now as a mom, I would still prefer giving these chocolates to my daughter than the store bought ones as it is made without artificial sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup or any other preservatives. This is a simple recipe that takes less than 10 min to make and you can use your creativity to make a variety of chocolates.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk powder
• 2 tsp Cocoa powder (Adjust to taste)
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup Sugar (Adjust to taste)
• 1/4 cup chopped dry fruits & nuts like Cashews, Almonds & Raisins (Optional)

Mozzarella Sticks

This is a popular appetizer in USA and very easy to make at home. All cheese lovers will love this dish, but be sure to buy rennet free cheese.

Ingredients 

• 8 String cheese (Rennet free)
• 1/4 cup Bread Crumbs
• Salt (As required)
• Chilli Powder (As Required)
• 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour 
• Any other seasoning like Oregano / Ajwain / Sesame seeds (Optional)
• Oil to shallow fry

Method

• Freeze the cheese sticks for 10 min.
• Mix the All purpose flour, salt, chilli powder and seasonings (if using) with water, to make a thick batter.
• Heat oil in a wok.
• Cut the cheese sticks into halves and dip the stick in the batter and roll it over the bread crumbs and shallow fry them in the oil.
• Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on a tissue.
• Serve hot with ketchup.

Flax Seed Burfi

This is a very tasty and healthy burfi from Manjula's Kitchen. It is super easy to make and will be instantly liked by all. You can indulge into it without feeling guilty!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup golden flax seed powder or meal
• 1/2 cup coarsely ground walnut
• 1/2 cup coarsely ground almonds
• 1/2 cup coarsely ground cashews
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Paruppu Vada

Another easy recipe from my mother's treasure chest with only very little ingredients and the best part is, the vada stays very crisp even when it is not hot. 

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Toor Dal
• 1/2 cup Channa dal
• 2 tsp Urad dal
• 1/2 tsp Asafoetida
• 2 Green Chillies
• 1/4" piece of Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Soak all the dals for 30 min.
2. Coarsely grind the dals along with green chillies, ginger, salt and asafoetida with just enough water. The batter should be thick.
3. Mix the chopped Coriander leaves to the batter.
4. Heat oil in a kadai and when the oil is hot, make small patties in the palm of your hand and drop it in the oil carefully. When the vada turns golden brown flip it and remove it with a slotted spoon and drain the excess oil on a paper tissue.
5. Serve crisp vadas hot or cold.

Cashew Burfi

This is a very easy recipe from my mom that lets you make yummy cashew burfi in only a few minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Cashew Powder (Powder the raw Cashew nuts in a mixer)
• 1/3 cup Ghee
• 1/3 cup Milk Powder
• 1 cup Sugar (Adjust to Taste)

Vella Cheedai

This is another of Lord Krishna's favorite that is made on Krishna Jayanthi. This is an easy and a no fail  recipe from my mom. Many people complain that the cheedai dissolves in oil or bursts in oil but me or my mom have never experienced that with this recipe. So enjoy it with Krishna!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Rice Flour (I use Nirapara brand)
• 1/4 cup Urad dal Flour (Store bought)
• 2 tsp Ghee
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds
• A pinch of Cardamom powder
• 1 1/2 cups Jaggery
• 2 cups of water
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Sieve and dry roast the Rice flour and Urad dal flour. (Frying gives less chance of the cheedai bursting in oil.)
2. Heat water and melt the jaggery in it and filter it. Allow the filtered jaggery mixture to boil and add the roasted rice and dal flour, ghee, sesame seeds and cardamom powder. Mix well to form a dough.
3. Once it cools down a bit, mix the dough with your hands and if it feels too dry add hot water little by little till you are able to get a smooth pliable dough.
4. Make small smooth balls of the dough and deep fry them on medium heat.
5. Once cooled, store them in an air tight container.

Suggestions / Notes

1. If the jaggery is too much, the Cheedai will dissolve in water. But this recipe will not fail you.
2. The ingredients used and the place made should be very clean as even little impurities in the dough will cause it to burst.

Chakkarai Appam

This Appam is my favourite and for every function or festival at home my mom makes this and this is a must in my house for Krishna Jayanthi. This is my grandmother's recipe that will never fail you.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Rava
• 1 cup Maida (All Purpose Flour)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Milk
• Pinch of Cardamom
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil, in a bowl and keep aside for 3-4 hours.
2. Heat Oil in a kadai. Add a small drop of the batter in the oil and if it sizzles up immediately then it means the oil is ready. 
3. Using a tablespoon, pour the batter in the oil to make the appams. Cook the Appams on medium flame only, otherwise they wouldn't get cooked.
4. Flip them when they turn brown and remove them using a slotted spoon once they are completely browned on all sides.
5. Drain the excess oil on a paper towel and store them in an air tight container once they cool down completely.

Thattai

This is a tasty south indian snack. We can have many variations of this by adding the spices that suit your taste but this recipe is in its original.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Rice Flour (I use Nirapara brand)
• 1/4 cup Urad dal Flour (Store bought)
• 2 tbsp Fried Gram dal Flour (Pottu Kadalai Podi)
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp Channa dal
• 2 tbsp yellow Moong dal
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Asafoetida
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• Oil to deep fry

Uppu Cheedai

This is a tasty south indian snack generally made for Krishna Jayanthi. Extreme care has to be taken about the cleanliness of the ingredients and the place made, as this cheedai is very well known for bursting in the oil at the slightest impurity.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Rice Flour (I use Nirapara brand)
• 1/4 cup Urad dal Flour (Store bought)
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp Channa dal
• 2 tbsp yellow Moong dal
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Asafoetida
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• Oil to deep fry

Method

1. Soak the Channa dal and Moong dal for an hour.
2. Sieve and dry roast the Rice flour and Urad dal flour. (Frying gives less chance of the cheedai bursting in oil.) Mix the roasted flours along with salt, asafoetida, sesame seeds, soaked dals and butter. Add water little by little to make it into a soft but firm dough.
3. Make very small balls of the dough and spread them on a clean cloth or newspaper. The cheedai balls should NOT be rolled tight and smooth but rolled loosely with cracks by using only the fingers. If it is rolled into tight smooth balls, then chances of it bursting in oil is very high. Also the balls should be very small and almost the same size as only then they will get cooked even and crisp.
4. You can use coconut oil to rub on your hands so that the dough will not be too dry or sticky and it would be easy to roll out the small balls. Also it adds a nice flavor to the Cheedai.
5. Once you have rolled out all the Cheedai balls, heat oil in a kadai/ wok. To test the oil add a pinch of the dough and it should sizzle up immediately. Now fry the Cheedai on medium heat and in small batches. Once done, cool them and store in an air tight container.

Suggestions / Notes

• Traditionally after mixing the dough we make a small cone with it and keep it aside. This cone represents the god who will be witnessing the cooking so that there wouldn't be any hassles during the process.
• If the oil is too hot the cheedai will not get cooked inside and if it is not the right temperature it will be soggy and not so crunchy. So make sure the oil is of the medium heat.
• It is advisable to stay away from the stove after dropping the cheedai balls in the oil so that atleast you wouldnt be hurt if the cheedai decides to burst!

Kai Murukku

My Grandma is an expert in this and in those days it was a laborious task to make it by soaking and grinding rice but my mom has an easy version, which is so easy that you can make this murukku any time you want very quickly and more important without compromising on the taste.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Idiyapam Rice Flour 
• 1/4 cup Urad dal Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Asafoetida
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil (optional)
• Oil to deep fry (I use Sunflower oil. But any other oil can also be used.)

Method

1. Sieve the rice flour and urad dal flour and mix them along with salt, asafoetida and butter. Add water little by little to make it into a soft dough. If the dough is too dry it will be difficult to twist the murukku. So add water in small quantities till you are able to make a smooth murukku. 
2. On a clean cloth or newspaper, make the murukku by taking a small ball of dough and twisting it with your fingers to form a thread like shape and swirling it to form rounds as shown in the picture.
3. You can use coconut oil to rub on your hands so that the dough will not be too dry or sticky and the murukku will come out smooth. Also it adds a nice flavor to the murukku.
4. Once you have made the murukku, heat oil in a kadai/ wok. To test the oil add a pinch of the dough and it should sizzle up immediately. Now fry the murukku on medium heat and in small batches. Once done, cool them and store in an air tight container.

Suggestions/ Notes

1. Traditionally after mixing the dough we make a small cone with it and keep it aside. This cone represents the god who will be witnessing the cooking so that there wouldn't be any hassles during the process.
2. The Murukku dough should be mixed and made immediately else they will turn brown.
3. If the oil is too hot the Murukku will turn brownish and if it is not the right temperature it will be soggy. So make sure the oil is of the right temperature.

Thenguzhal

Thenguzhal is a yummy snack and here is the recipe for it. This recipe requires a special instrument called chakli/murukku press.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Rice flour  (store bought)
• 1/4 cup Urad dal flour (store bought)
• 1 tsp Salt (Adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Asafoetida
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 1 cup Water (use as required)
• Oil for deep frying

Shortbread Cookies

I am a fan of the Scottish Shortbread cookies and wanted to try them at home and the result was awesome. Make sure you use the best, tastiest butter as that is the main ingredient here, responsible for the taste.

Ingredients

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• A pinch of Salt
• 1/2 cup Butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered Sugar
• 1/2 tsp pure Vanilla extract

Method

1. In a bowl beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add the Sugar, salt and vanilla extract and beat the ingredients till smooth. Stir in the flour and make a soft dough.
2. You can make small balls of the dough or if you want to use the cookie cutter to shape the cookies, flatten the dough into a disc shape and cover it with a parchment paper and freeze it for 10 min. Then flatten the dough with a rolling pin to 1/4" thickness and use the cookie cutter to cut the cookies.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F and line the cookie sheet with the parchment paper.
4. Place the cookies on the cookie sheet and bake them at 350F for 10 min. These cookies will not brown much, so when the edges/ the bottom side turn a golden brown, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
5. Yummy shortbread cookies ready to eat!!!