Aapam

Ingredients:

2 cups Raw rice

8tbsp Urad dal

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 cup grated coconut

1/2 cup cooked rice

1tbsp curd/yogurt

1/2tsp Sugar

Salt

How to:

• In a bowl, soak rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds for 4 hours.
• Grind them in mixer or grinder or blender along with coconut and cooked rice.
• Add sufficient water and make a fine paste.
• Transfer the batter into a container and add sugar, salt and yogurt.

• Now wash the grinder/blender with 2 cups water and pour it in a sauce pan.

• Cook the washed water in the stove, stirring continuously and switch off when it turns semi-solid like yogurt.

• Let it cool and mix it with the batter.
• Now place the container inside the convection oven overnight with oven light on and ferment it.
• Next morning, you can see small bubbles all over the batter that shows the batter is fermented well. It won't rise or doubles like dosa batter.

• Let it be little watery when compared with dosa batter.

• In a non-flat bottomed deep pan, pour a big spoonful of batter, lift the pan and tilt in a circular motion so that the corners are thin and center is thick.

• Add a tsp oil around and cook with lid closed. Cook on one side only, do not flip it.
• Also try this floral aapam by tilting the pan with batter in front and back, left and right, and cross up and down.

• Remove it from the pan and serve hot.

Wanna bite? Try this spongy Aapam today.

Chickpea Curry/Kadalai Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Garbanzo beans/Chickpeas

1 onion diced

2 tomatoes diced

1/2 grated Coconut

1tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1tsp Fennel seeds

1 Cinnamon stick

1tbsp Chilli powder

1 1/2tbsp Coriander powder

Salt

Water

Oil

How to:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight in a bowl with 4 cups of water. They become soft and doubles in size.

• Pressure cook the chickpeas with enough water along with salt.

• In a skillet, heat oil and add onions and saute until it turns golden brown.
• Now add diced tomatoes and cook till it gets mashed up.

• Let it cool and grind it with the coconut and make a fine paste.

• Heat oil in a skillet, add fennel seeds, cinnamon and ginger-garlic paste. Cook till the raw smell disappears.
• Now add the ground mixture and cook well along with a 1 1/2 cups water and salt.
• Add chilli powder and coriander powder and cook. Make sure there is sufficient water, as the masala may get burnt at the bottom.
• Once the raw coconut smell disappears, add the cooked chick peas and cook for further 2 mins.

• Adjust the salt for taste and garnish it with cilantro.

Yum! Yum! Yum!

Sending this recipe to the event "Cooking with Whole Food - Legumes & Beans (CWF - LB)" by Nithu Bala. Also check  

Kiran's Future Guest Hosts Page.

Curd/Yogurt

Ingredients:

4 cups 2% Milk

1/4 cup Yogurt (store bought)

How to:

• Microwave the milk in oven safe bowl for 6 mins. Cooking time may vary depending on the watts of your microwave oven.

Or You can also bring the milk to a boil in the kitchen stove.

• When the milk is lukewarm, add the yogurt bought from Indian store.
• Its better to insert a clean finger inside the milk to find the warmth before adding the yogurt.
• Stir the milk and keep it inside the convection oven with oven light on.
• Keep it overnight.

Home-made curd is set.

During winter times, its really tough to set the curd,

• You can place the milk bowl overnight inside the convection oven with oven light on.
• If you don't have oven light, place the milk bowl in the convection oven and bake at 400 degrees for 2 mins, and let the bowl stay in the warmth overnight.

As Curd is a staple in Indian homes, many buy yogurt from stores as the curd doesn't set well during cold weather. Now you can try it at home.

Potato Fry

Ingredients:

1 Russet potato

1tbsp chilli powder

1/2tsp mustard seeds

1tsp Urad dal

4-5 Curry leaves

Salt

Oil

How to:

• Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds, when the crackle add urad dal and curry leaves.
• Now add thinly sliced potato and saute for a while.
• Add salt and chilli powder and fry them in low flame till it turns brown.

Your fries are ready in a snap!

French Toast

Ingredients:

5-6 Bread slices
1/4 cup Milk
3 Eggs
1/4tsp ground Cinnamon
1tbsp Butter
Powdered sugar

How to:

• Beat the eggs well along with milk and ground cinnamon.

• Heat the griddle or tawa and spread the butter.
• I have chosen 100% whole wheat bread. Bread with thicker slices would be much better.
• Dip the bread slice in the egg mixture and place it on the hot griddle.

• Cook for 2 mins and flip it over and cook for another 2 mins.

• Remove from the heat once both sides are evenly browned.
• Halve the slices and dust with powdered sugar.

M'm m'm good...

Ginger Gobi Masala

Ingredients:

1 medium Cauliflower
1 cup grated coconut
1 tomato
3 green chillies
3-4 Garlic pods
2 big piece ginger
1tsp Fennel seeds


How to:

• Separate the cauliflower florets and wash them in running water.

• Now grind the coconut with chopped tomato, green chillies, garlic, ginger and fennel seeds.

1/2 medium onion
3 dry red chilli
5-6 curry leaves
1/2tsp fennel seeds
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1tbsp Chili powder
2tbsp Coriander powder

• Heat oil in a skillet, add fennel seeds, red chilli, chopped onion and curry leaves with little salt.
• Saute them till onion turns golden brown, now add turmeric powder.

• Add the ground coconut mixture into the skillet and fry them for a while.
• Also add the chilli powder and coriander powder with 2 cups of water and cook in a low flame.
• Add the cauliflower florets and mix well with the ground masala.

• Cook with lid closed. Check every few mins, as the masala may get burnt if the water evaporates completely.
• Adjust the salt and add more water if required.
• Do not overcook, as the florets may be smashed.So, keep an eye on it.
• Garnish with cilantro.

Can't wait to dig in, can you?

Garlic-Tamarind Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

3 Tomatoes
7-8 Pearl onions
5-6 Garlic pods
2 piece Tamarind
3-4 Red dry chilli
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp Cumin seeds
1 pinch Fenugreek seeds
6-7 Curry leaves
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1tbsp Chilli powder
2tbsp Coriander powder
3-4tbsp Sesame oil
Salt
Water

How to:

• Chop the tomatoes and puree it. Also make tamarind juice with 1 cup water.

• In a deep pan heat Sesame oil, add mustard seeds, when they crackle, add cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds.
• Add dry red chilli, curry leaves and pearl onions. Fry them carefully as they may get burnt.

• Once the pearl onions starts browning, add the pureed tomato and cook well, with lid closed.
• Once the tomatoes are cooked, add turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder and cook for 2 mins also add garlic and cook for 2 more mins.

• Now pour the tamarind juice followed by 2 cups of water along with salt.
• Check the taste and add water, so that it doesn't end up too sour.
• Mix well and let it cook till you get the right consistency.

Spicy kuzhambu is ready to serve with steamed rice.

Tomato Chutney

Ingredients:

3 Tomatoes(Ripe)chopped
3 green chillies chopped
2-3 dry red chilli
2-3 garlic pods
1 piece ginger
1tbsp Chana dal
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch Asafoetida
1 piece tamarind
2-3 sprigs Mint leaves
4-5 curry leaves

How to:

• Heat oil in the skillet, add mustard seeds, when they crackle add cumin seeds, dry red chilli.
• Add ginger, garlic, green chillies and saute them.
• Now add Tamarind, Chana dal, curry leaves and asafoetida and saute.

• Then add tomatoes and mint leaves and cook with with lid closed in a slow flame.

• Check once in a while, as it may get burnt.
• Cook till the tomatoes are completely mashed.
• Let it cool and grind it coarsely with salt.

Tadka:

1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp urad dal
1/2tsp cumin seeds
3 dry red chilli(broken)
1 pinch asafoetida
4-5 Curry leaves

• Heat oil in a pan, add all the above and fry them.
• Now add the tadka to the ground mixture.

Finger-licking chutney is ready to serve.

Tindora Fry

Ingredients:

1lb Tindora cut lengthwise

1tsp mustard seeds

1tsp Cumin seeds

1tbsp Urad dal

1tbsp Chana dal

3 Dry Red Chili broken

5-6 Curry leaves

Pinch of Asafoetida(Hing)

1tbsp Chilli powder

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

Salt

Oil

How to:

• Heat the oil, deep fry the Tindora and keep it aside on a paper napkin to absorb excess oil.

• In a skillet heat 2tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds,once it crackles, add cumin seeds.
• Now add dry red chilli, asafoetida, chana dal and saute.
• When Chana dal turns little brown, add urad dal and curry leaves.
• Then add turmeric powder and chilli powder and saute.
• Now add fried tindora along with salt in the skillet and toss it well.
• Saute for 5 mins. At this time you can switch off, garnish with cilantro and serve.

• If you like your tindora crispier like me, reduce the flame and slow roast it.

Look at that delicious tindora fry.